Takuyamon
by Rukatofan
Summary: Everything is different since the moment he returned home. The connection between Earth and the digital world is stronger, the law says that digimon need a Tamer in order to live on the real world, and Takuya is forced to face the truth. He is a digimon now, and he must find a Tamer, or leave his home forever.
1. Chapter 1

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Summary**: Everything was different the moment he returned home. The connection between Earth and the digital world is stronger now, the law says that digimon need a Tamer in order to live on the real world, and Takuya is forced to face the truth. He must find a Tamer, or leave his home forever.

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story will have mature content to come in the future, including some violence in the form of fighting/action and some sexual content. That is why I have rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

-o-

**Chapter One**

-o-

Takuya watched, his mouth hanging ajar with a sensation of awe and triumph as Kouji embraced his twin, crying. They had won, defeated Lucemon for good, and rescued both worlds from utter destruction. And then they had come and rescued Kouichi. It was so…right. Emotion swelled within him, and instantly, he remembered his family.

It was still Shinya's birthday. He could make it in time for the party.

Turning as though the world were in slow motion, he bolted from the hospital emergency room, leaving his friends behind, and ran. He ran like everything depended on it.

By the time he reached home, only two hours had passed since he left. Huh. Strange how time in the digital world worked.

"Takuya, where did you run off to?" his mother scolded as soon as he burst through the door. "Your father will be here any second, and then it will be time for the party!"

He wasted no time, throwing his arms around her in a fierce hug. "I love you!" he said strongly, fighting tears. "You know that, right?"

"Of course! I-I love you too, Takuya," she blurted, bewildered. "Where did that come from?"

Takuya pulled back, a little sheepishly, and grinned at her. "Doesn't matter," he waved his hand. "I just realized I haven't really told you that very many times, and I should. So…there you go." Awkward, he hurriedly turned and focused his attention on his littler brother, and tackled him roughly. "Hey birthday boy!" he cried out, tickling Shinya and then picking him up to spin him in the air. "Who's the coolest, most amazing, smart, and greatest brother of all time?"

"Takuya, stop it!" Shinya giggled, trying to act annoyed.

"You are," Takuya answered with a grin, then set his brother down and rubbed his head affectionately. "Happy birthday, buddy!"

"Yeah, happy birthday to me," Shinya taunted proudly. "Dad's gonna get me a forklift!"

"Oh really? That'd be cool, but I don't think it will fit in our house very well," Takuya chuckled.

"We could keep it outside…"

"Might get stolen," Takuya pointed out.

"Stop being mean! I wanna forklift!" the now eight-year-old jumped up and down angrily, throwing his arms out and striking Takuya with them. Their mother winced silently, knowing that moments like these always broke into a fight that she'd have to separate, and stepped forward with the intention of doing just that. Imagine her surprise when, instead of getting mad, Takuya made a show of pretending like he'd been hit by a super martial artist, and fell dramatically to the floor.

"You win!" he cried theatrically. "I'm dead."

Shinya blinked down at him a minute, watching his older brother pretend to be dead—and quite poorly, too—before giggling and striking a pose proudly. "Yeah that's right!" he mocked. "I'm totally awesome, that's why!"

"You are totally awesome," Takuya agreed, still speaking like he was pretending to be dead.

"And I'm the birthday boy!"

"So true."

"So you should have to do what I say for the whole day!"

Takuya was silent for a second, lying on the ground staring up at the ceiling. He thought about everything he'd been through, and how much he'd wanted to get back to his family just so that he could do these kinds of things. Yeah... this was everything he wanted. After a short moment, he grinned. "Okay," he said, then rose from the ground. "You got it, birthday boy. What do you want me to do?"

Shinya stared at him, astounded, his mouth hanging open for a second. But his loss of speech did not last long. Grinning ear to ear, he instantly put his brother to work. "Put me on your shoulders!" he ordered. "And spin me! Spin real fast! Now run up the stairs…"

Mrs. Kanbara watched with an expression of shock and disbelief as her sons dashed through the house, giggling and whooping and having the time of their lives. She could hardly believe that they were really her boys.

Oh well. She smiled with relief and went back to preparing dinner. She'd take any break she could get.

-o-

The party was fun, and thoroughly exhausted, Takuya had practically crawled up the stairs and into his room for bed. He had a vague feeling like something was wrong with him, but was too tired to figure out what. Yawning and throwing aside his hat, goggles, gloves and jacket, he threw himself on his bed and fell asleep.

All through the night he tossed and turned in pain, stuck somewhere between awareness and a light sleep. His dreams were vague, full of memories of the digital world, fighting for survival, and the feeling of spirit evolution. That part was the most dominant, as though it really hadn't affected him all those times until this moment. He could feel his cells being stripped down, shredded to pieces, and disintegrating, as streams of data took their place, and he felt like screaming in agony. How had he spirit evolved so many times and not noticed? How could he have gone through the transformation without realizing what it was doing to his body? Over and over his mind screamed at him, berating him for being so stupid.

But then suddenly, morning came upon him, and his eyes snapped open with relief. He was lying in his bed, drenched in sweat, with every inch of his body feeling weak and pained. _It feels like I'm going to fall apart, _he thought desperately. _Like I'm not even real anymore. _

Hours seemed to pass with every minute, and he listened to his heart beating in his chest evenly. It became comforting to him. At least his heart had not been shredded away.

_What happened to me? _He thought, sighing in despair. _What did spirit evolution do to my body? I feel like my DNA was destroyed bit by bit until nothing is left. How am I even alive? _

That thought struck an even greater fear in him, and holding his breath, he wondered desperately if maybe he had died in the digital world. And if that was the case, what was he now? But then he had to breathe again, and the need for air and the beating heart in his chest reassured him. He was still alive.

"I'm not the same though," he said quietly. And finding himself no longer crippled by fear, he sat up in bed and looked down at his hands. They were still his hands, his body was still his body, but they looked strange to him. A thrum of energy ran through his body, and he could sense it in a way he had never been able to before. "I've felt like this before," he frowned. "When I was Agunimon."

Standing slowly, he walked to the bathroom and closed the door, staring at himself in the mirror. His face looked pale, he thought, and his eyes held a strange gleam to them that was not quite human. Had they changed color? Leaning forward, he scowled, finding that they had shifted from the chocolate brown that they'd used to be, and had become more reddish orange. Again, he thought of Agunimon.

"What happened to me?" he repeated in a whisper. "What did I do, when I changed into a digimon that many times?" He bit his lip, feeling he knew the answer and did not want to admit it. No, he was afraid to even think it.

But it was there, gnawing at him from inside.

"I destroyed myself," he said. His voice was too quiet to hear, even for himself. "Every time I became a digimon, I destroyed myself. In saving the digital world, in saving my world, I lost my human body. Didn't I?"

He didn't need anyone to confirm it. It was the truth, an undeniable fact that he felt in the core of his being. Takuya Kanbara the human had been stripped away, and in order to keep on living, he had been rebuilt with data.

Takuya Kanbara was a digimon.

-o-

The revelation was not one that could simply be shared with his family. For one, he didn't think they'd believe him, and for another, not much had changed. He was still Takuya, and he could go on living his life like a normal kid. Or so he thought.

But that very morning, as he trudged down the stairs feeling very surreal, he was suddenly struck with the strangest sensation he'd ever felt. It happened when his brother Shinya ran past him into the kitchen and flung himself into a chair, eating a bowl of rice their mother had left for him. As his eyes fell upon his brother, Takuya suddenly felt like he was staring at a bright light, a beacon of strength and power. Strange thoughts filled his head, and he found himself thinking that he wanted Shinya for himself—not as a brother, but as dog wanted an owner; he wanted him for a trainer that could make him strong.

He had to fight to shake those feelings, and made his way to the table uneasily.

"Are you sick?" Shinya asked.

Takuya blinked, staring at him with excitement just because he was being spoken to. _What's wrong with me? It's just Shinya, right? Why do I want him to make me stronger? It doesn't make sense. _"What?" he finally asked.

Shinya sighed, as though frustrated, and shook his head. "Takuya, you need to wake up already. Don't fall asleep walking, you crazy head."

Takuya forced a smile, also taking a bowl of ride and scooping it into his mouth with his chopsticks. He did not answer. It was too weird, feeling like he was both an outsider in his own house, and a lesser being next to his brother. _He's human, _he though helplessly. _And he's got the hidden power of a digimon trainer. That must be it. Maybe that's why I want him so much. I just want him to make me stronger. _

But then those thoughts made him frustrated too. What kind of person thinks those kinds of things? _I really have become a digimon! _He thought, distressed. _I even think like one!_

Shinya got up to go to watch TV before school, and without thinking, Takuya followed him, content to watch whatever his brother wanted. The now 8-year-old boy was not just your typical kid who likes to watch cartoons and car races, and all the things that the rest of the kids his age were into. He had this weird fascination with watching the news, and then talking about it later to his friends and teachers. They were always impressed with how much he knew about what was going on in the world, and he liked it. So it was no surprise that he turned there this morning, happily listening to the stories of the day.

"I like this news lady," he said absently. Since Takuya was not fighting with him for the remote like usual, he felt extremely confident and talkative. "She looks nice, and she doesn't speak as formally as the other guy."

Takuya nodded once. "She's strong too," he murmured, admiring the strength of personality and the potential power he could sense in her. Looking at people now was a strange sensation for him, like he was looking at giant, living, power plants that could make him stronger if he chose the right one.

"Strong?" Shinya asked, frowning. After a moment, he shrugged. "I guess so. She doesn't flinch when she talks about the hard stories, if that's what you meant. One time, when she was talking about the city being destroyed and all the deaths, she was very strong."

Takuya frowned, remembering something about that vaguely. "That was a year ago," he said. "Wasn't it? What happened back then? Mom and Dad took us to Okinawa during all that so I don't really remember it."

Sucking in a breath with pride, Shinya prepared himself for his talk. He thoroughly enjoyed being the one who knew everything. "How could you forget?" he scoffed. "It was the biggest thing to ever happen, Mom said. The world was being attached by a rogue computer program that had evolved into a monster! There was a giant red dome that had covered part of Tokyo and was destroying the buildings inside it. A lot of people had to evacuate."

"I think I remember that," Takuya perked up. "They said it was some Reaper thing, right?"

"It was called the D-Reaper, and Mom and Dad tried to keep us from hearing much about it," Shinya nodded. "But I watch the news, so I know." He paused, becoming interested in the current news story about a possible lightning storm this evening, and then continued. "Best part is, it was a bunch of kids who managed to defeat it. Kids your age, I think. They had these digimon partners that helped them fight, and after they won, they had to send their digimon back to the digital world, or something like that. No one even knew an alternate world like that existed until then!"

Takuya's mouth dropped open wider and wider, until he felt like he was going to choke. Finally, he managed to close it. "Digimon!?" he blurted. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course!" Shinya snapped, growing angry. "I wouldn't lie about this! I know everything about them! Everyone at school is really into them right now."

"How could I have not made the connection?" Takuya whispered. He stood, pacing back and forth, unaware of his brother watching him with a confused scowl. "I vaguely remember something about it…"

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Shinya turned up the TV.

"…current news," the lady was saying, "there's been a new development between human and digimon relations."

Takuya stopped pacing, frozen in place as he turned to stare at the screen.

"Because the link between our worlds has gotten stronger, more and more digimon have been sighted throughout the city. Many people have concerns about this, whether it is safe to have them here, or if we should ban them from having access to our world. After yesterday's meeting with HYPNOS and varying world governments, new laws have been passed to protect both digimon and human alike."

"Well that's good," Shinya said firmly. "Digimon aren't badguys."

Takuya glanced at him, feeling relief growing inside him. But instead of speaking, he waited to hear more of the story.

"Everyone remembers how it was because of the digimon and their partners, the Tamers, that the rogue program was able to be defeated," the lady said. "Therefore, it has been decreed that digimon may be able to live on our planet only so long as they have a legitimate Tamer that has been tested and approved by HYPNOS. President Yamaki assures that this is the safest way to preserve peace between our worlds, and ensure that we are prepared for any threats that may come to either one of us. In other news…"

"Time to go to school!" Mts. Kanbara ordered, using her master remote to turn off the TV. She stared at them from the kitchen with arms crossed. "Hurry up, you two."

As they scrambled for the door and headed for their school, Takuya's head spun wildly, and unable to think coherent thoughts, he walked to school as though he were sleep walking.

-o-

"Takuya!"

Takuya lifted his head, looking around to see who had called out to him, and found himself face to face with one of his friends. "Oh," he said blankly. "Hi Suzuki. What's up?"

Suzuki had been in the same class as him for three years, and the two of them often played soccer together. So he knew that something was wrong even without asking. "What's wrong?" he demanded with a worried frown. "You've been out of it all day, and you keep staring at people like you've never seen them before—it's really weird. Are you sick? You look kind of pale."

"I'm…" Takuya grimaced, not sure exactly how to respond. How could he tell his friend what had happened? It wasn't as easy as saying "Well I was called to the digital world to save both our worlds from an evil digimon called Lucemon, and ended up destroying my DNA until all that was left was data. Then I came home as a digimon." There was no way he could say all that! Instead, he let out a long drawn out sigh, wishing for the hundredth time that day that he could run away and hang out with Kouji, Zoe and the others for the rest of his life. They at least knew what he was going through.

"Seriously man, what's wrong?" Suzuki complained. His face was covered with genuine worry. "You can tell me."

"I don't know," Takuya lied tiredly. "It's just weird. I feel weird. Everything is changing."

"Are you sure you aren't sick?" Suzuki scowled. He grabbed Takuya's hand, sending a jolt of energy through him. Just the single touch of a human hand gave Takuya strength, and he found himself wishing for more. "Come on, let's go to the nurse. You don't look well." Dragging his distracted friend through the school, Suzuki fell into determined silence. If Takuya was acting out of it, then something must be wrong!

Shaking off the weird feeling of desiring power, Takuya lifted his head and glanced at the students that they passed on their way. It baffled him how every single person was different to him now. Everyone had their own unique energy and strengths, and he could tell just by looking at them which ones would make him powerful and which ones would not. He could see the kids who had no child-like faith, and they stood out as dead and gray to him, almost like they were lifeless. They were too "grown-up" to believe, and it made him sad. It was becoming clearer to him as he watched people that those he knew better—the ones who were closer to him as friends—had a greater potential for giving him strength. But no one stood out as a "Tamer."

It was weird to have had no knowledge of Tamers before the TV report this morning, but now that he had heard the word he felt inside him that he knew. A Tamer was not just a person who could give a digimon strength through friendship and support. They were _chosen _by the digital world because of the inner strength within them. When the world would be crashing down, these people would be strong and support the rest. They were leaders, trainers, friends and servant-minded. Thinking of others before themselves. These were the people that he wanted the most.

As of yet, he had not met one.

_I wish I had a Tamer, _he thought helplessly, and then shook his head to clear the thought from his mind. _What am I thinking? I am Takuya! Sure I am made of data now, but I'm still me. Once upon a time, __**I **__was the chosen digidestined, the Tamer. Why does that have to change now? _

"Life just doesn't make sense now," Takuya complained tiredly. In front of him, Suzuki glanced back in concern and frustration, but said nothing.

They arrived at the nurse's office, and Suzuki pushed him onto a bed. "Take a nap!" he ordered. "I'll see you later, k? Feel better so we can play soccer."

"You got it," Takuya sighed. He stared at the ceiling numbly until he was left alone in the room, and the bell rang out for class. Ignoring it, he closed his eyes and drifted into a light sleep. "I wish Kouji was here," he murmured in distress. "He would know what to do…"

-o-

_The world around him was on fire, twisting from reality into purple fragments of light that swirled closer and closer. He tried to sort out what was real and what was digital, but in the end, all he could see was Lucemon flying through the tunnel toward Earth, while he was lying on the ground, too weak to fight._

_Fury and despair clutched at him. "I wont give up!" he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I can't! I can't!" And he pushed against the elevator as hard as he could. His mind reasoned with him. You've already failed, it said. Lucemon won. You're just a weak human. What can you do?_

_**You're not weak, **__a voice said. A surge of strength filled him from within, and the elevator fell forward as another pair of hands helped him push. Slowly he lifted his head and looked up._

"_I remember this," he said. "I remember, you taught us a new evolution. We turned into Susanoomon and defeated Lucemon, didn't we?"_

_Standing above him, Agunimon smiled, nodding his head. __**You did, **__he replied. __**So why do you dream of being defeated? You're Takuya. Nothing can defeat you. **_

"_It's not the same anymore," Takuya sighed. He hung his head, staring at his hands and watching as tears slipped down and dampened his gloves. "Nothing is the same. I'm not the same."_

_**You are the same. You are still Takuya.**_

"_But I'm not human! I'm a digimon!" Takuya stood, whirling around to stare at the Legendary Warrior with accusing eyes. "I'm a digimon now!" he repeated. "Aren't I?"_

_Regret passed over the Warrior of Fire's face. __**Yes, **__he said, his mouth never moving, but his words audible in Takuya's mind. __**It was the only way to save you, Takuya.**_

_Clenching his hands into fists, Takuya shook his head. "I don't understand," he said angrily. "Why was it the only way?"_

_Sighing, Agunimon turned and pointed upward. __**Look up, **__he said gently, and Takuya did. They could see the sky, the stars, and the three moons above them. __**Would you believe me if I told you that the sky and the moons you see are not space, but simply a barrier between this world and the next digital layer? **_

_Scowling in confusion, Takuya tried to make sense of it all. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Digital layer?"_

_**The digital world that you know is but the very center of a massive digital plane, **__Agunimon said. __**There are hundreds of levels, going further and further up, until you reach the real world. At the highest level, you can actually see Earth floating above you. **_

"_Really?" Takuya gaped. How could that be possible? He looked as hard as he could, but only saw the night sky. "How do you get there?"_

_**There is always one way to get to a higher or lower level, **__Agunimon began to walk, and as he went, the world around them changed. Suddenly they were standing in front of a bizarre rock riddled with holes like pumice, towering above them. __**This is the home of the Legendary Warriors, and it guards the way to the next level up. **_

"_What about the way down?" Takuya asked. He felt excited at seeing this place, wishing he could go in, but too afraid to ask. He forgot completely that he was dreaming. _

_**There is no way down. This is the lowest and deepest level, the oldest most ancient part of the digital plane. Every year the digital plane grows, and another layer comes into existence. Last year when the D-Reaper tried to destroy both our worlds, the resolution created another layer, and now passage into your world has become much easier. **__Agunimon paused, and then knelt beside Takuya, looking directly into his eyes. __**It is why Lucemon was able to get so close, even though we locked him up down in here, and it is why the Tamers are so necessary. Without them, digimon will run rampant on your world. **_

"_What about me, though?" Takuya frowned. "How was my becoming a digimon the only way to save me?"_

_**It became the only way when you had to biomerge with another human in order to save the world, **__Agunimon's face held a pained expression. __**A human may biomerge with a digimon and still be okay, but when two humans need to combine together, they **_**must**_** become data. Humans cannot be combined. Only digimon can.**_

"_So I could have gone home as a human, even after all that spirit evolution, if we had never digivolved into Susanoomon?" Takuya groaned. "But that was the only way!"_

_**Yes, it was. **_

"_Everyone would have died, not just me."_

_**That is true. **_

"_But what about the Tamers? Couldn't they have stopped Lucemon?"_

_**Perhaps, but we could not reach them. Only you could have saved us. You sacrificed everything, even giving up your lives. **__Agunimon dropped his head, and to Takuya's surprise, a tear slipped out of his eyes and fell to the ground silently. __**You died to save us…to save everyone. And I died to bring you back. **_

"_What do you mean you died?" Takuya blurted. "You're alive right now, aren't you?"_

_**It's different than a human's death, **__Agunimon sighed. __**Digimon can come back if their base data—their DNA, if you want to call it something—is preserved as a digi egg. I died and gave my date to you so that you could become a digimon and return home to your family, and then I was reborn. I am weaker now, but someday I will become strong again. That is what we do. And now, that is what you do.**_

"_If I get killed, I can come back as a digi egg?" Takuya whispered. The idea made him shiver with a weird feeling, but it also gave him a weird sense of hope. "That's good at least…I guess…"_

_**Takuya, I'm telling you this so that you wont be discouraged. I'm sorry that things will never be the same for you. **__The Warrior of Fire stood, placing a hand upon the boy's head fondly. __**But I am glad, glad that because of this, we can see each other again. You carried my spirit with honor and strength, and I am changed forever because of it. Thank you. **_

"_Thank you to you too," Takuya smirked. "I was so miserable…I didn't know what to think or how to handle all this. It's so…weird for me. I mean, there's even a law now that says that digimon can't live on our world without a certified Tamer. Does that apply to me too now?"_

_**Probably. It is a good law. It means that digimon have something to hope for, something to fight for, and a chance to forever be kept from turning evil. If only there were as many Tamers as there were digimon.**_

"_But I was born on my world. Don't I have rights as a human being? Or, well," Takuya grinned awkwardly. "A digital human being?"_

_**Perhaps you do. Only you can find out. **_

"_I wish you were with me. I wouldn't mind it so much if you were."_

_**I wish that too. But you cannot be my Tamer, and I am needed as a guardian for our world. **_

"_So what am I supposed to do?"_

_Slowly, the dream began to fade, and Agunimon smiled gently as he disappeared. __**Find a Tamer, **__he chuckled._

_Then he was gone, and the dream ended. _

"Takuya can you hear me? Wake up already!"

Takuya opened his eyes reluctantly, looking up to meet the eyes of the friend who had dropped him off at the nurse's office. "Hey Suzuki," he sighed. Already he missed the dream, and he missed talking with Agunimon. "What's up?"

"You're looking a little better," his friend commented. "Come on, school is out. Let's go play soccer."

"I'm coming," Takuya said. He sat up, watching as Suzuki ran out to tell their other friends that were waiting outside that Takuya would come with them, and then slipped off the bed. As he grabbed his back and prepared to leave, the nurse stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. The touch left a spark of energy that flowed into him.

"Kanbara," she said gently, concern on her face. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He blinked, nodding and trying to not get distracted by the pleasant aura of energy she emitted. "I'm fine," he assured her. "Thanks."

Her expression showed she was not sure. "You were crying in your sleep," she whispered, attempting to keep some discretion between them so that no one else overheard. Her hand squeezed tighter on his shoulder. "You can tell me if something is wrong, you know. I'll be here for you."

Overcome by her genuine concern, Takuya struggled to keep his eyes from growing moist. He smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I'm doing fine now, I'm just having trouble adjusting to how life changes so fast, you know? That's all."

She nodded, not quite understanding, and let him go.

He went out to his friends, throwing on his typical charismatic smile and throwing a fist in the air. "Let's play some soccer!" he cried.

Excitedly, they all rushed out the school with him, glad to have their friend return to normal.

-o-

_Thank you for reading my first chapter of a new story! Sometimes it is so hard to have ideas and stories whirling around in my head without being able to handle them. But now, I have finally gotten this one written down. It's an idea I've had for a while now, and I wish that I could tell it better, but as they say, storytelling improves with practice and criticism._

_So please, review and tell me what you think! I appreciate any kind of response, and any review, whether positive or negative, encourages me as a writer to continue forward and share my ideas with everyone. Even one short sentence will make a difference to me._

_Thanks, and see you next chapter!_

_~Rukatofan_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story contains slightly more mature content, including fighting/violence, sexual themes, and swearing, which is why I rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

Thank you The Keeper of Worlds, Tenzaromon, and Thespurgen for your reviews and your support! I can't tell you enough how much it encourages me and helps me to feel braver about writing and continuing my story! This chapter is dedicated to you because you took the time to tell me what you thought. Thank you!

-o-

**Chapter Two**

-o-

Time is relative. That's what Einstein said, and that's what most people have found to be true, Takuya thought. When he was having fun, it would fly by too quickly for him. When he had to do chores or homework, or do something that he really did not want to do, it seemed to drag on forever and ever! Every year seemed to fly by, and inch by, all at the same time, until he would suddenly find himself looking at a mirror in disbelief. Was that fifteen year old young man inside the mirror really him? Had it really been four years since his life had turned upside down?

"You're doing it again," Shinya said, startling him. He turned to see his younger brother leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed, studying him blankly.

"Doing what?" Takuya scowled. He finished messing with his hair so that it would sit just right—not quite messy, and just a little bit styled—and turned to give Shinya an innocent face.

"Staring at yourself like something bad happened," Shinya sighed. He moved, coming toward Takuya slowly. He was twelve now, a little tall for his age, and athletic. Like Takuya, he had been playing soccer all the time, and even trained in karate and kendo at school. No matter how many times Takuya looked at him, he was astounded by how magnetic he seemed—strong, capable, and pure-hearted. Like a Tamer.

_Maybe he is a Tamer, _Takuya thought with a smile. _Then I could just have him all to myself. That wouldn't be weird, right? I mean, we are brothers… _

"So when are you going to tell me what happened?" Shinya cut through his thoughts.

"Nothing's happened," Takuya laughed. "You're just reading too much into my face, that's all."

"I'm not stupid, Nii-san." Though he used the informal, more intimate way of saying "older brother," his voice was edged. As though he felt betrayed. "You think I wouldn't notice the difference? Ever since my birthday four years ago, you've been weird. You look at yourself like something bad happened, and you don't know what to do about it. You look at your friends and your family—at me—like we're strangers. Sometimes, you just sit there listening to us talk without saying anything."

"My personality's changed over the years…that's normal, Shinya."

"This isn't normal!" Shinya yelled. Surprised, Takuya found himself growing silent, watching his little brother with concern and fear in his eyes. He didn't know what to say. "I kept waiting," Shinya continued. "Waiting for you to tell me. I thought, even if you don't tell your friends, or Mom or Dad, you'd at least tell me. I waited four years for you to tell me."

"Shinya…." Takuya grimaced. He raised a hand, and then dropped it. What was he supposed to say? Four years had gone by, and every day he'd psyched himself up to tell his family about what happened—how he had become a digimon to save them. But he could never do it. Of course his brother, who knew him so well, would have picked up on something. But now that so much time had passed, it was too hard to talk about. How could he just say the words?

"Look," Shinya snapped. "Whatever happened to you was probably traumatic. I can tell that much. But I'm not going to hate you for it, and I'm not going to hate you for not telling me. I just want you to know that I'm here, okay?"

Takuya nodded. _He's stronger than I am, _he thought helplessly. _I just wish I could tell him. It would be so nice…being able to talk about this with someone. Right now, I have no one. _"Shinya," Takuya sighed, glancing back at himself in the mirror one final time. He looked as human as the next person, despite what his internal digital senses told him. "There _is_ something I want to tell you," he admitted. "I wanted to tell you a long time ago, but I just didn't know how."

"Let's start with that," Shinya smiled. A look of relief passed across his face. "And maybe on the way to school, you could tell me a little bit more."

Oh right. School. Sighing loudly once more, Takuya followed his brother down the stairs and out the door, beginning their trek to a new school. They'd moved over the summer, closer to the city so that their dad could commute to work easier, which meant that they had to go to a new school. The idea was somewhat daunting.

"So what happened?" Shinya asked, his voice low as he walked beside his brother. "I remember you ran out the door, saying you had to go somewhere and you'd be right back. I thought you'd forgot my present at school or something, so I didn't think anything of it. But then when you came back…you looked…"

"Sweaty? Out of breath? Like a crazy person?" Takuya grinned. His tendency was to try and lighten the mood, especially when the situation was awkward for him. Like right now.

"No," Shinya rolled his eyes. "You looked…I don't know. It was like looking at someone who had been through something terrible, and then tried to come back to normal life like nothing had happened. But it was impossible. Like that."

"That's kind of how I felt," Takuya mumbled. "Only I didn't realize it till the next day."

"Can you just tell me?" his brother pleaded. "I keep trying to guess, and my ideas get crazier and crazier the more I try to figure it out. Did you witness a murder?" he stopped walking, turning to grab Takuya's arms and stare up into his face. His wide eyes were full of concern. "Did you see some kind of horrible accident?"

"No, nothing like that," Takuya smiled. He rubbed his brother's head with his hand.

"Were you…were you….raped?" as he spoke, Shinya's voice lowered until there was almost no sound, like he couldn't pronounce the last word very easily.

Instantly, Takuya shook his head from side to side. "No, no I wasn't!" he reassured loudly. But he felt awkward, and a blush crossed his face. To think that Shinya had thought this for so long… _I should have just told him! What if Mom and Dad are thinking the same things? _"It's much less…awful…than that, I promise. It's just…" pausing and lifting his head to the sky, Takuya tried to figure out what to say. Was there an easy way to say it?

In front of him, Shinya waited as patiently as he could, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Finally, he could take no more. "What happened?" he demanded.

It was time to just say it. Gathering courage with one shaky breath, Takuya lowered his head and met his brother's eyes. "I was called to the digital world, so that I could stop an evil digimon from destroying it, and from destroying Earth."

Shinya's eyes widened in disbelief, his mouth falling open. "So…" he stammered. "So you're…you're a Tamer?"

Grimacing, Takuya shook his head. "I was," he said slowly. "But it was a losing battle. We were all going to die, and no one even knew it was happening. So we—the other kids who went with me—became data so that we could digivolve together and become stronger. Only then could we defeat him and go home."

"Who were the other kids? What do you mean by becoming data?"

"It's not that easy to explain…"

"Just try! You're confusing me. It sounds like you're saying that you died and became a digimon!"

When his words were met with an awkward silence, Shinya's mouth dropped opened again, and he stumbled backwards in shock.

"You're not…." He whispered, shaking his head from side to side.

Sighing, Takuya shrugged. He turned and began to walk toward school once more. "Yeah," he said sadly. "I am. I'm a digimon."

It made him sad, but it didn't surprise him that Shinya did not walk with him the rest of the way. He needed some time to sort through the news.

-o-

The school _was _big, just like Shinya had predicted. There were students everywhere! If that wasn't distracting enough, all Takuya had to do was just stand there, and he could _feel _that there were Tamers here. _There are Tamers at my school! _He thought frantically. Sure, part of him was weirdly excited by the idea—the digimon part of him, obviously—but the human part of him was freaking out.

What if they also knew that he was a digimon? What would they do? Would he find himself in a horrible situation? There was just no telling! It was why he'd been hiding for four years.

"Takuya?" someone called out from across the courtyard. The voice was oddly familiar, like he'd heard it once before somewhere, in a dream. Looking up, Takuya could see someone walking toward him with a smile on their face. "It is Takuya, isn't it?" he said excitedly, lifting a hard and waving.

Recognition slammed into him like a tsunami. The black hair, the dark brown eyes, the way his attractive face held both softness and sadness at the same time…there was no mistaking Kouichi Kimura. Not after his face had been burned into Takuya's memory—the moment where he had died to save them, and the time when they had brought him back to consciousness in the real world. Yes, this was Kouichi, smiling and walking toward him like a bright beacon of light.

Takuya began to run, raising his hand in the air with a huge grin on his face. He couldn't even express with words how the sight of this long-lost friend filled him with joy and relief. "Kouichi!" he yelled. "Hey buddy! I can't believe it's you!"

He was only two or three feet away when something bashed into him with such force, it knocked him backwards several feet. A strangled "oof!" escaped from his throat, and two seconds later, he found himself lying on his back on the cement. Time seemed to have stopped—there it went being relative again—and before he could even try to think, someone appeared over him and began to hit him rapidly and repeatedly.

Over and over the fists smashed into his face, his chest, his stomach, so hard all he could see was bursts of light that blinded his vision. It completely baffled him. And it _**hurt!**_

Red seared across his vision, and gritting his teeth in sudden anger, he lifted his hands and grabbed the fists that assailed him with speed and strength he didn't know that he had. The person was stuck, and with a cry of rage, he lifted his foot and kicked him in the gut as hard as he could. His attacker went flying, and jumping to his feet, Takuya lifted his fists to fight.

"KOUJI STOP!"

Kouichi's voice seemed to freeze everything, and for a moment, Takuya began to wonder what had happened to him. Then the red cleared from his eyes, and he looked up in shock. Standing coolly in front of him was Kouichi's twin—his friend—Kouji Minamoto.

He was the same as he had been, only different. He was older, obviously, with pitch black hair that he still kept tied in a ponytail behind his head. It might have looked weird on anyone else, but on Kouji it looked distinguished and handsome—like looking at a samurai. His face had become thinner a bit, and he was stronger, like someone who practiced in a dojo every day. The resemblance between the two brothers was still striking, but enough had changed that it was easy to tell one from the other. Kouji's face was harder, more masculine and less expressive.

Yep. Pretty much the same as before—and different than before.

Kouji lowered his fists, turning his head away as though dismissing Takuya as insignificant, and walked to his brother's side.

"What's wrong with you?" Kouichi demanded. His eyes were wide, and he shook faintly with either anger or adrenaline. Maybe both. "Why are you attacking Takuya?"

"Kouji?" Takuya blurted. He squeezed his fists tighter, glaring angrily. "What the hell do you think you were doing?" He yelled. "Is that any way to greet your _friend? _After everything that's happened, after everything that we've been through…you just _attack _me like I'm some kind of enemy?"

Kouji turned to glare at him, his blue eyes flashing with hidden light. "And what the hell is wrong with you?" he snapped back. "After all this time, you show up at my school and start being all friendly with _my _bother, and then completely ignore me like I'm not even there? I waved at you first!"

Takuya could not believe his ears. He walked forward, raising a hand and pointing in Kouji's face. "You SO did not!" he yelled. "Like hell. "You SO did not!" he said again, just because the idea was completely absurd. "Like hell YOU would wave at anyone? YEAH RIGHT!"

"How would you know, you retard? You can't even see things in plain sight!"

"You're just being stupid! All I have to do is ask Kouichi, and he can confirm that you did NOT wave to me," Takuya turned to Kouichi, Kouji growling and following his example. "Did he wave to me?"

Kouichi's face paled a little, and he raised his hands with a look of nervousness. "Um… guys? Why are you fighting? Isn't this kind of a happy moment?"

"Did he?" Takuya insisted.

"Well no… Kouji doesn't really wave to people… I would have noticed if he did…"

"See?" Takuya turned back. By this time, they had attracted a small crowd of students, but he was too focused to even notice them. Right now, all he could think about was Kouji and Kouichi—two people he never thought he'd see again. "So there!"

"Whatever," Kouji crossed his arms. "You're a failure anyway. Why are you so weak? What have you been doing for four years? Nothing?"

"I am not weak!"

"You call that being strong?" Kouji snickered.

Growling, Takuya flung himself at Kouji once more, and responding in kind, the two began to fight with such fury, it seemed sparks were flying between them. Or maybe there were sparks. It was hard to tell. Given the chance, it would have continued for some time, growing in intensity and damage, but Kouichi intervened.

"Kouji!" he yelled, and a strangely compelling force of energy seemed to shoot out of him. "Stop it!"

Kouji stopped, as though his brother's words were like magic. Swiftly, he leapt to Kouichi's side and poised there, like a sulking wolf who'd been forced to stop hunting his prey.

Only then could Takuya finally understand the magnetic energy that seemed to envelope Kouichi like an aura—and energy that flowed between him and Kouji like an invisible connection. "Kouichi you're…" he wiped sweat from his forehead, dropping his arms and staring at him. A weird feeling of loneliness and awe came over him. "You're a Tamer?"

Kouichi's face grew apologetic, and he stared at the ground anxiously. "Y-yeah," he said quietly.

It made sense. He was with them in the digital world, after all, helping them fight. But he never biomerged with a human. He had been at home, the whole time. "Of course you're a Tamer," Takuya smiled. "That's great!" His eyes drifted toward Kouji, and for the first time, his internal digital scanner activated. Stats that only he could see popped up in his mind, telling him everything he needed to know. "And you're like me," he said quietly.

Kouji stared at him silently, but his face softened a bit. He nodded once.

"So then…you guys…"

"Yes," Kouichi shrugged. He blushed awkwardly. "I'm his…well…you know. It makes sense, though, right? I mean, we are brothers. And there's that law…"

"Yeah. Of course." Takuya grinned awkwardly.

"What about….you?" Kouichi lifted his eyes, staring at Takuya curiously. "It looks like you don't have…I mean… you know."

This was all getting rather irritating, skirting around the subject like it was a landmine. For the first time in four years, Takuya actually felt like he just didn't care. "A Tamer?" he said, louder than he needed to. "No, I don't. Not yet. And I don't need one, cause I was born here, so I belong here. That's just how it goes." He was being defensive and he knew it, even though he knew that Kouichi had a point. Even he knew deep down that he had to have one, as awkward as the idea was.

"Hey," Kouji said, turned to look at the school. His face betrayed that he was more worried about the students that stood listening to them and whispering about them than anything else. "There's the bell."

"Let's meet up after school," Kouichi said quickly. He smiled, placing a hand on Takuya's shoulder gently. "It's really good to see you again."

"Yeah," Takuya sighed, smiling back. "You too." But his eyes drifted over to meet Kouji's as he spoke. And though they parted ways and hurried to class, all he could think about was how he'd finally seen Kouji again—the only one who really understood.

Because between everyone in the real world and the digital world put together, only Kouji really understood everything Takuya had been through. It had always been that way, from the very beginning. They were rivals, friends, and now digimon, together. They had been the first to biomerge, the first to become Susanoomon, and the only ones to gain Fusion Evolutions. He really felt like he had a connection with Kouji that he didn't have with anyone else.

So why was he sad now that he got to see him again?

_It's weird, _he thought, making his way to homeroom and taking a seat. _But I think… I think he was sad too. I wonder why? _

He was forced to concentrate on school and wait until later to figure it all out.

-o-

On the roof of the school, Ryo sat and stared at the sky. There was really no point in going to school—not for him. His father wanted him to go like all the normal kids, said he had to be a respectable son or he was failing his family. Something weird like that. But none of that mattered.

"I'm here," he said to the sky. But it was still pointless. He was only doing this to pacify his father, but there was really nothing keeping him here. Cyberdramon was back in the digital world, probably beating the crap out of some poor innocent mega or something like that. But Ryo was stuck in the real world, going to school.

It sucked.

It took a moment for him to notice that his pocket was beeping at him, since he was so lost in his self-pitying thoughts. But after a moment the annoying sound made him sigh and yank his digivice out. It was probably another rogue digimon that had gotten into the real world, didn't get a Tamer, and was now wreaking havoc in the city because it was angry. It happened all the time. Rika would probably already be taking care of it anyway. She liked to get there so fast, it was a waste of time for him to even look.

But then…it was a digimon. And as a certified Tamer, he was authorized by law to skip school to take care of it. Smirking a little, he clicked the button to see what it had picked up.

"Digimon detected," it read, and a holographic compass appeared, directing him toward a flashing light. "Power level: dangerous," it added, the words highlighted in red.

"At this level, it has to be a mega," Ryo whistled. "What's it doing here? It can't be trying to attack, is it?" He jumped to his feet and dashed toward the stairs that led back into the school, following the compass on his digivice. "It's so close…it has to be at my school!" he scowled with concern. The idea that a mega digimon with dangerous power levels was appearing at his school, with hundreds of innocent humans, made him grow serious. It was probably here to look for a Tamer. Why else would it come to a school? "Where's Cyberdramon when I need him?" Ryo hissed.

He jumped the stairs, startling two girls at the bottom, and dashed past them. He ignored their whispered comments about him. Yes, he was Ryo Akiyama, the famous Tamer who went to their school. Yes, he was considered handsome by the people who cared about that sort of thing. But since he never cared much about humans or what humans thought of him, it really didn't matter. Ryo was a lone-wolf, and his focus was digimon. It always had been.

The flashing blip of light continued to lead him through the school, down to the courtyard, and out into the crowds of students who had just gotten out of school for the day. Anxiety filled him, and he searched desperately for any sign of the digimon that had to be nearly right in front of him. But all he could see was people.

Okay…now he was _really _worried. "What is this guy?" he whispered. "Is it invisible?" he lifted his digivice and started a scan. It said there was a digimon ten feet in front of him. At this range, he should be able to get all of its info.

The scan finished, and a hologram popped up. It read: "Takuyamon. Class: Mega. Type: Human. Attribute: Fire. Attacks: Unknown." A picture of a young student, fifteen years old, with brown hair and reddish eyes, appeared before him.

Ryo stared at it, dumbfounded.

A human. His digivice was showing him a human.

"What the hell?" he whispered. He scanned again, with the same result. "Takuyamon," it read. And this time, it had picked up something else to add to the notes. "Behavior:" it read. "Outgoing, loyal, and friendly, but easily angered when provoked. Unpredictable power levels. Approach with caution."

Not sure whether to laugh or swear, Ryo lifted his head and looked. Across the courtyard stood a fifteen-year-old, brown-haired young student. He was talking to a pair of twins, grinning and conversing with them as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

In the end, Ryo opted for swearing. "Shit," he whispered. He grabbed his face with one hand, beginning to pace back and forth. "Shit, shit, shit!" He stuffed his digivice in his pocket and slipped away from the school, not looking back.

It was impossible. There was no such thing as a human digimon. Digimon that could change shape and pretend to look like humans, yes. But actual human-digimon? Not possible. It couldn't be!

The beeping continued to nag at him from his pocket, warning him that the powerful "Takuyamon" was still wandering around, and did not have a Tamer. If he did have one, he wouldn't have shown up on the scanner at all.

"Shit!" Ryo said again. At the end of the street he turned and looked back, watching as Takuyamon and the black-haired twins walked away, talking excitedly as though they had everything in the world to talk about. "What the hell am I supposed to do?" he snapped at his digivice. "It's a human, for crying out loud! I can't attack a human!"

But it was just a device. It couldn't answer him.

-o-

_Well? What do you think? Don't worry, I'll introduce more of your favorite characters as the story progresses, but I have to start with the most essential ones. Man, storytelling is hard! I had to fight to get this chapter right. _

_Again, please let me know if you have any critiques or advice, or even just a thought. I like to know what you think. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!_

_~Rukatofan_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story contains slightly more mature content, including fighting/violence, sexual themes, and swearing, which is why I rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

Thank you Tenzaromon, The Keeper of Worlds, and Ho not, for your reviews and your support! I can't tell you enough how much it encourages me and helps me to feel braver about writing and continuing my story! This chapter is dedicated to you because you took the time to tell me what you thought. Thank you!

-o-

**Chapter Three**

-o-

"A mega?" Ryo yelled, throwing his digivice across his room with dramatic fury that he did not normally show. But this was a once in a lifetime kind of moment, and yelling and throwing things seemed perfectly fitting. "How is that even possible? A fifteen-year-old human, walking around school, is a MEGA level digimon? NO!"

But he was alone, living in a studio apartment so that he didn't have to stay with his alcoholic father. Who was going to answer him?

"This is idiotic!" he continued to yell, pacing back and forth through his sparsely-decorated room with anxious energy. "No, it's impossible! Whose sick idea was it to joke around like this? Did someone prank me? Is that what this is?"

He paused, latching onto the idea like a lifeline. It must be a prank. What else could it be?

"I need some air," he moaned, opening the door and stumbling outside. There wasn't a particular place he had in mind to go, but he didn't need one. Anywhere worked fine. "When I find out who did this, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind," he grumbled angrily. "It's not okay. My responsibility as a Tamer isn't a joke, it's a job I take very seriously!"

"If you didn't, you'd be an idiot," someone replied.

Ryo looked up, somewhat startled, and found Rika walking beside him. Of course she'd be here. She was always patrolling, looking for digimon to fight. And it didn't help that his apartment was only a couple blocks away from her house. "Hi Rika," he sighed.

She studied him blankly for a moment, her eyebrows pinched together in a perpetual frown. "Hi Ryo," she said back, her voice equally dull. "What's got you so upset? Did I beat you to the scene again?"

Why was she always so obsessed with being the first to get to a rogue digimon? He shook his head, not wanting to put up with her competitive tendencies. He left that idiocy to her and Takato, since they were _so _into beating each other to the fight. What was their deal, anyway? They may as well just date already.

"So what is it?" Rika insisted. "You've got a really dark expression, and that's kind of scary. I thought you were the nice guy…you know, the one who stays calm and collected all the time? What's wrong? Do you miss your insane dragon that much?"

"Cyberdramon is not the issue," Ryo rolled his eyes. But yeah, he did really miss Cyberdramon, and that didn't help anything. "It's something else." Momentarily, he wondered if he should tell her about what had happened. He still had the stats from the scan on his digivice—which he'd inconveniently left at home—and maybe she could help him figure out what to do about it. "Actually," he said slowly, "something happened today at school, and it's got me kind of worried."

"The fact that you even noticed something at school means it was digimon related," Rika chuckled. She brushed a strand of her red hair out of her face, studying him thoughtfully. "Okay spill. What's up?"

"My digivice went off," he said, "alerting me to a mega-level digimon at the high school."

"Oh no," Rika's eyes widened. He couldn't tell if she was more upset by the idea of a rogue mega attacking students, or that she wasn't there to be a part of it. "What happened?"

"That's just it," Ryo scratched his head. "Nothing! I got down to where the digimon was supposed to be and…"

"Hold that thought," Rika interrupted. She pulled out her digivice, and a holographic compass popped up. "I'm picking up a mega near us right now, we've got to hurry!"

"I didn't bring my…"

"Doesn't matter, just come with me. Renamon is on her way, but I want someone with me when I get there." She made a face, but had gotten over her pride through the years enough to not act stupid. Megas were not something to take lightly, and she knew it. Rika started to run, and nodding, Ryo followed after her and kept pace. Before too long, they made their way down the street to a private park that overlooked the river, and dashed into it. "Here," Rika said, coming to a stop and lifting her hand. She pointed directly in front of her and prepared herself for a fight.

What they saw was a girl, blonde-haired and blue-eyed, staring at them with a baffled expression. She was holding an ice-cream cone, her mouth open as she held the treat somewhere between her mouth and her chest like they had caught her about to take a bite. She couldn't have been more than fifteen years old.

A sickening feeling of frustration and fear stabbed through Ryo's insides, and he grimaced at Rika. Her own face showed that she did not accept what she was seeing. _Again? _He thought. _Why is this happening again? Are our digivices finally failing? Is there something horribly wrong happening? What could cause them to be deceived like this? _

Rika stared a scan, eyeing the girl with a glare.

"Can…I help you?" the girl asked, lowering her ice-cream cone and staring back and forth between the two of them nervously. Ryo couldn't place it, but there was definitely something weird about her. Like a strange energy radiated from her.

The scan completed, displaying the same type of baffling message that had shown up earlier on Ryo's digivice. "Zoemon," it read. "Class: Mega. Type: Human. Attribute: Wind. Attacks: Unknown."

Rika looked up and made eye-contact with the girl, her expression hard. "I need you to come with me," she said. Her voice was full of authority.

"What?" Zoemon—or rather, the human girl that was showing up as Zoemon—took a step back with an expression of shock and disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"With the authority vested in me as a Certified Tamer, I order you to come with me to the HYPNOS headquarters," Rika clarified.

"But I haven't done anything wrong!" the girl pleaded. Her face went pale, and she backed away from them step by step.

"Rika wait," Ryo blurted, turning to her in disbelief. "What are you doing? She's just a human…"

"My digivice says otherwise," Rika snapped. "It says she's a powerful mega that doesn't have a Tamer. By law, I'm required to take her in." She turned icy violet eyes to meet his face, and her expression sent a shiver down his spine. "If she is just a human, we'll let her go. But we can't afford to take chances. You know that as well as I do."

The girl could not even run. Rika walked forward and grabbed her arm, forcing her to walk in the direction of the city, as Renamon dashed up just in time to act as the security escort. Ryo just stood there and watched them go, his mind whirling with thoughts and worries. He felt nauseous, like something horribly wrong was happening.

She was just a human. Wasn't she?

"I don't know why," he whispered, shivering, "but I can't help feeling like we shouldn't be doing this."

His thoughts turned toward the boy that had shown up as "Takuyamon" on his digivice. Now it was his turn to decide what to do, before Rika beat him to it.

"Shit," he sighed, staring up at the blue sky. "Why the hell is this happening?"

-o-

"For four years, you've been his Tamer?" Takuya asked. He was lying on the grass in the park, staring up at the sky. Kouji and Kouichi lay near him in an almost-circle, their heads near each other, and their feet stretched out the opposite direction. They'd spent the last few hours talking about everything. How the twins had been able to meet each other's families, and spend holidays with each other; how they'd gone back to the train station several times, hoping to run into Takuya or the others, and had never found anyone. It just seemed like they could keep talking forever!

"It started after I got back from the hospital," Kouichi nodded. "Kouji came to visit me the next day, and he had this really terrified expression on his face. When he told me what had happened to him, I didn't know what to think. But then we were watching TV, and that news report came on…"

"About the law?" Takuya chuckled. "Yeah I saw it too. I was so scared when I heard that. I felt like an outsider in my own house, and I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone. In fact, I only just told Shinya today."

"You have the worst timing possible," Kouji said.

Grinning, Takuya reached up and punched Kouji's head. He received a much harder punch in response.

"We decided right then that I would be his Tamer," Kouichi continued. "I was a digidestined, after all, and it just felt right. As soon as we decided it, my phone turned back into my D-tector…only it looks different. It has a card-reader now."

"Really?" Takuya looked up above his head, trying to see his friend's face. "Just like a legit Tamer's tool!"

"That's because it IS a legit Tamer's tool," Kouji snorted.

"So the next step was getting me certified," Kouichi went on, ignoring his brother's snide comments. "I went into the HYPNOS headquarters the next week, feeling scared to death, but all they did was have me do some tests, show my digivice, and sign some papers. Then they took a sample of my DNA and my thumbprints, and told me I was certified. They even gave me a license to carry around. It was crazy."

"Then they had the nerve to tell him to pick a digimon," Kouji complained. "Tried to get him to pick one right then."

"Obviously I refused," Kouichi chuckled. "I can't handle a jealous Kouji."

"No one can handle a jealous Kouji," Takuya grinned. It got him another harsh punch to the head. "Ow! Hey!" he complained.

"But apparently, you don't have to register what digimon you have," Kouichi added. "I can have as many as I can handle, and any that I can't, I'm supposed to send back to the digital world. If a digimon has a Tamer, they wont show up as rogue, and they have a human that takes responsibility for them. If they don't have a Tamer, they will pop up on any scanner that's in range."

"Wait…any scanner?" Takuya asked, growing nervous.

Kouji sat up, leaning forward so that he could look down into his friend's face. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Kouichi's digivice started flashing, that's how we noticed you. Takuya, you've got to get a Tamer soon, or else…"

"Or else what?" Takuya asked. He sat up rapidly, turning so he could stare into Kouji's face. "What will happen to me?" he demanded.

Kouji's face twisted with a half-grimace. "Someone will turn you over to HYPNOS," he said. "From there, who knows? Most likely you'll get sent to the digital world forever. But who's to say whether they'll want to keep you and run tests on you instead?"

Takuya shivered, not liking either option. "Well maybe you could be my Tamer," he said quickly, turning to Kouichi.

"I don't think I can," Kouichi looked away. His face blushed awkwardly.

"What do you mean? Why not? Didn't you say you could have as many digimon as you could handle? Sure Kouji is a jealous maniac…" he dodged a punch to his face. "But you guys are my friends! And it would only be until we could figure something out!"

"That's just it," Kouichi sighed. "Only as many as I can handle."

"You're saying you can't handle me? I'm not like a wild Ogremon or something…"

"No, it's not like that. I'm saying I can't handle both of you." He sat up, pulling out his digivice and pressing the scan button. After a moment, the results came in, and he showed them to Takuya reluctantly. "You probably don't realize this but…you and Kouji are really powerful. It has you listed at the mega level but…when the two of you are next to each other…" his voice trailed off and he shook his head in awe. "It's no wonder you two were always the strongest. You're like monsters!"

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Takuya scowled. "How is this even possible? I'm a mega? Shouldn't I be like, champion? Or wait… rookie? Is that right? This is basically saying I'm already at the highest level."

"You think so?" Kouichi smirked. "Watch this. Hey Kouji," he turned to his brother. "Sit next to Takuya—close enough to touch him. Okay?"

Kouji sighed, sounding like he was being asked to do some heinous chore, and reluctantly shifted positions so that he sat beside Takuya. They leaned back to back, feeling awkward, and instantly felt a burst of energy building just from the contact.

Kouichi showed them his digivice. "Okay now look at your power levels," he said. "They're off the chart! It's like…you know when two digimon biomerge and become something incredible? It's like you two can do that just by being near each other!"

"That's just weird," Kouji mumbled.

"No kidding," Takuya frowned. "But it kind of makes sense to me. We always were the strongest…and we were the first to biomerge to become Susanoomon. Maybe we still have that connection."

"And that's weird," Kouji insisted. He sighed, shaking his head, but made no move to break contact. The power they felt was exciting, and neither of them really wanted it to end.

"If I'm reading my digivice correctly," Kouichi chewed his lower lip, distracted by his thoughts, "what you guys are experiencing right now is called 'Burst Mode.' It's a burst of energy that exceeds mega level. It only lasts as long as you keep contact, or as long as you're biomerged. Something like that."

"So why can't you be my Tamer?" Takuya insisted. "It's already a great idea! Kouji and me are totally strong!"

Kouji stood up, abruptly breaking contact, and walked away with a shake of his head. "You're weak," he called over his shoulder. "You've done nothing for four years. I've been getting stronger."

"I'll get stronger," Takuya scowled. "You'll see!"

"He's not just taunting you," Kouichi cut in. "Although…okay he is taunting you…but it's more than that."

"Meaning what?"

"The point is, Kouji is already too powerful for me to be able to handle having another digimon," Kouichi said. He looked at the grass, unable to meet his friend's eyes. "I'm just…not that strong of a Tamer."

"Sure you are! What determines a Tamer's strength anyway?" Takuya frowned. "It's the strength of your heart, your courage…right? You're definitely strong!"

"I'm not, really," Kouichi smiled. The sad look that he always seemed to carry lingered a little bit closer to the surface though. "I was always shy and weak, and it takes a lot of energy for me to just have Kouji as my partner. If it was him as the Tamer, or you…neither of you would have any trouble handling two megas. But I get so drained…" his voice trailed off, and he couldn't seem to finish his thought.

As the words sunk in, Takuya flopped back down on the grass, staring up at the clouds. He had nothing to say, and only worries rushing through him.

"I'm sorry," Kouichi whispered.

"It's okay," Takuya said. His voice was distant, a surreal feeling washing over him as he tried to sort out what he was supposed to do. He hadn't realized that being a Tamer meant that you had to have enough energy to handle the digimon. If that were the case, then finding a Tamer for him might be even more out of reach. "It's just…what do I do now?"

He felt Kouji's return more than he heard it. "Whatever happens," Kouji said firmly, "we'll protect you. I promise."

Kouichi nodded gravely. "And I'll do everything I can to get stronger," he said. "Maybe someday…I could be your Tamer too."

His voice betrayed that he didn't feel so sure it could happen.

-o-

Shinya was waiting for him when he got home. Honestly he should have expected it, but seeing his little brother sitting on his bed, in his room, arms crossed and glaring, Takuya wondered if he should just make up some place to go and hurry away as fast as he could.

"Not cool," his brother snapped at him, tapping his fingers against his elbow in irritation.

Takuya closed the door to his room, worried about his Mom overhearing. Sighing reluctantly, he sat on the floor and waited for whatever else his brother felt the need to say. He didn't have to wait long.

"It's not cool, Takuya," Shinya continued angrily. "All this time, I've been thinking that something horrible and traumatic happened to you, and instead, you go and tell me something like _that? _What exactly am I supposed to think? What am I even supposed to say?"

"I…"

"I'm not finished!" Shinya yelled. He stood, pointing a finger at his older brother accusingly. "How could you not tell me something like this? Especially when you know how crazy about digimon I am? How could you?"

"Exactly!" Takuya snapped back. "How could I? Honestly, what was I supposed to say? It's not exactly the easiest thing to talk about, you know. Do you know how hard it is for me? To have humanity stripped from me because it was the only way to protect the world—everything I love—from being destroyed? And now, I'm not even supposed to live here without a Tamer? How do you think that makes me feel?"

"Wait, wait, wait," Shinya stopped him. "Back up a second. What's this about a Tamer?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know, Mr. Crazy-About-Digimon. You know that digimon aren't allowed to live on the real world without a Tamer."

"How does that apply to you?" Shinya scowled. "So you're a little different now. You're still a human, and this is your world. They can't make you leave."

"Yes, they can," Takuya snapped. He thought back to what Kouichi and Kouji had told him, shivering a little. His face grew pale the more he thought about it. "Yes they can," he repeated. "Because I am a digimon. I even feel like a digimon…I think like a digimon…and I show up on a scanner as a digimon. Do you have any idea what that's like? I'm so scared…"

The color drained from Shinya's face, as though the gravity of the situation was finally dawning on him. "Why?" he demanded. "It's not fair! That's not fair!"

"Can you see why I didn't want to tell anyone?" Takuya asked. "Please, just promise me you'll keep it a secret, okay?"

His brother nodded vigorously. He stood hesitantly beside the bed like he didn't know what to do with himself, and repeatedly opened his mouth like he was going to speak, and then changed his mind. By the time Takuya had gotten sick of the action, Shinya finally found his voice.

"Maybe I could be your Tamer," he suggested quietly. A blush crossed his face, as though he couldn't believe that he was even saying it.

Takuya looked up at him wistfully. "The thought has crossed my mind," he said. "But the truth is, I don't think you could be. Besides, you'd have to get certified first."

"Then I'll get certified," Shinya insisted. "I've wanted to for a long time anyway. Why not now?"

"You might not be Tamer material," Takuya warned, not wanting to get his hopes up. But he had to admit, he was already getting excited by the idea. _I wont have to worry about anything, _he thought with a grin.

The next second, the grin froze on his face. _Then again…do I really want to be ordered around by my little brother? _

Wow…okay the idea was a LOT less appealing now.

"I can still go and find out," Shinya insisted. "I'll go first thing after school tomorrow!" he paused, and a look of fear passed over his face. Awkwardly, he walked forward and sat down, giving Takuya a tight hug. "I don't want anyone to take you away," he said quietly. "I wont let them."

"I don't want to go either," Takuya whispered. He hugged Shinya back, mind whirling with the pros and cons, until he began to feel dizzy. So he did what he did best: shove the thoughts aside and worry about them later. "Come on, cheer up!" he said enthusiastically. "Even if you fail the certification process, I'm not going anywhere. I'll think of something! I always do."

At least that was true. He did always manage to think of _something. _

-o-

_The chapters get easier to write when I have a clear idea of what I want to happen in them. It's kind of a relief. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story, I take great joy in knowing that I can create something other people besides myself can enjoy. _

_Let me know what you think! I am always happy to hear your thoughts. Thanks!_

_~Rukatofan_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story contains slightly more mature content, including fighting/violence, slightly sexual themes, and some swearing, which is why I rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

Thank you the-ice-cold-alchemist, Tenzaromon, and The Keeper of Worlds for your awesome reviews and continued support! Wow, just...just thank you! It means so much to me, and I am so excited that you can enjoy the story that I am having so much fun writing. This chapter is dedicated to you because you took the time to tell me what you thought. Thank you!

-o-

**Chapter Four**

-o-

Zoe was terrified.

It had always been like walking on eggshells for her, ever since she'd come back from the digital world and found herself changed forever. All her hopes for fitting in with the girls in her class, making new friends, and finally not feeling like an outsider, were dashed to pieces. As a digimon, the chasm between her and where she wanted to be had grown infinitely larger.

Then there was always the fear that someone would find out she was a digimon and condemn her to leave her own home and be exiled to the digital world forever. Surely she had _some _say in the matter, she tried to reason with herself. After all, she'd become like this only because she had saved the world from ultimate destruction. If anyone could understand her, it would be the Tamers. Right?

Still, just the idea of meeting a Tamer terrified her to the extreme. They were the ultimate authority when it came to her. They could tell her what to do, and she'd have to do it. They were the ones who could grant her the freedom to stay, or order her to leave.

How was that fair?

The HYPNOS building loomed in front of her, and her steps faltered. How had this happened? Four years, she had managed to stay under the radar and act like a normal human girl. And now suddenly, a Tamer had rushed up to her and taken her in like some kind of criminal. What had she done to deserve this?

"This is a misunderstanding," she pleaded with the girl who led her.

Her escort said nothing, but continued to grip her arm with a vice-like hold. Zoe was sure it was bruising her. As they walked, a large, graceful Renamon walked beside them, as though acting the silent guard.

Zoe wished she could talk to it. Even if this Tamer girl did not understand, the digimon would. But every time she turned to look at it, the Tamer's grip tightened, and she was forced to focus again on where they were going.

The large building seemed to swallow them as they walked through the automatic doors, and she shivered with dread as she was taken further into it. What would happen to her while she was here? Would they give her a chance to defend herself? Should she have tried to run?

If she had been paying more attention, she would have noticed the people walking up to her. As it was, she didn't see them until they were suddenly stopping, and two people began to talk to her escort.

"Who is this?" the older man asked—he was tall and had blonde hair, and for some reason he was wearing sunglasses, even though he was inside.

Beside him, a younger guy who looked to be about a year older than she was looked at her curiously. He had brown hair and eyes, and his face was kind. "Rika," he said to the Tamer. "You're bruising her!"

Rika glanced at her hand, as though surprised, and loosened her grip. "Sorry," she said hastily. She turned to the older man without wasting another second. "This girl showed up on my scanner," she said seriously. "As a _mega._"

"That's absurd," the man scoffed. "Stop wasting my time. Do you have any idea how busy I…"

"Yamaki-san," the boy interrupted. He lifted his digivice—Zoe's eyes widened when she realized that he was another Tamer—and showed it to the man. "My digivice says it too," he said. He looked over at Zoe with awe on his face. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm just a girl!" Zoe tried to say.

"That's not what my scanner says," Rika, snapped. "Are you a digimon trying to pretend to be human? How are you doing this? If you think we're going to let you sneak over here and try to…"

"I didn't sneak over here!" Zoe pleaded. Tears filled her eyes, and her legs grew weak. She was so scared, so overwhelmed, she could barely stay standing. "I was born here, I swear! My name is Izumi Orimoto—my friends call me Zoe—and I'm supposed to be here!"

"Takato," Yamaki-san, the older man, turned to the boy standing beside him. "I want to have a word with Rika. Can you take this girl somewhere…safe?"

Takato nodded, holding out a hand to Zoe and smiling kindly at her. "It's okay," he told her gently. "We'll figure out what's going on, alright? Trust me. And don't worry about Rika, she's not your enemy. She's part of our front-line defense, and she deals with a lot of really dangerous digimon on a daily basis. She's just trying to protect people and play it safe. Alright?"

His voice was soothing, and it reassured her greatly. Just by looking at him, Zoe could feel the great magnitude of strength and character that filled his entire being. Takato was not just a Tamer. He was one of the greatest. She nodded, taking his hand somewhat eagerly—she found herself wanting to be beside him, wanting him to make her stronger—and followed him down the hallway to wherever he was leading her.

She glanced back to see Rika giving her a scowl, before they turned a corner and it was just her and Takato.

"You said your name was Zoe?" Takato asked, smiling at her. "I'm Takato. Nice to meet you."

Nodding, Zoe stared at her hand, hardly believing she was holding his. "Nice to meet you too," she murmured. "So… you're a Tamer, right?"

"Yes," he nodded. They arrived at a door and walked inside, where they found themselves in some kind of lounge. There was a couch, a few chairs, and a table, situated about the room in a welcoming sort of way. He led her to the couch and had her sit down, and moved to the chair across from her. "So what about you? Are you a digimon?"

His face showed no signs of distrust or accusation, and she felt she had no reason to lie to him. Swallowing, Zoe clasped her hands together and stared at them. "Yes…" she said quietly. "That is…I am a digimon _now. _Once, I was human, just like you."

He didn't answer at first, but clicked a button on his digivice and then stuffed it in his pocket. A few seconds later, the door opened, and a large red saurian digimon walked in and came to stand beside him. "I'm not sure I understand," he said. "How can a human turn into a digimon?"

Zoe stared at the red digimon, wondering if she should be afraid, but then her internal scanner activated and told her that Guilmon was friendly, and far below her own level. She could handle him in a fight…so long as he didn't digivolve. "Well it's kind of complicated," she sighed. "See, I was called to the digital world four years ago, because both that world and this one were in danger. But in order to win against the enemy, my DNA was destroyed and replaced with data. At least, that's what it felt like. In the end, I cam home as a human digimon." Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked up and met Takato's eyes. "Please don't send me to the digital world! I'm still human, even if a scanner says that I'm data. I have a family, and friends, and this is my world as much as it is yours! I haven't done anything wrong, so please, can I just go home now?"

Takato's face twisted with a pang of guilt and doubt. "I don't know what to tell you," he said honestly. "But we just want to understand. I too went to the digital world to save our two worlds, so I understand what that means. I would have given up everything to save them too. I'm sure we'll figure something out, but for now, we just need to have you stay here so we can ask you some questions and run some tests."

"What kind of tests?" Zoe shivered.

"Just a quick scan, that kind of thing. It doesn't hurt, I promise," Takato smiled. "I had the same test done to me when I was certified."

"But what's going to happen to me?" Zoe insisted. "I'm human, even though I show up as a digimon."

"That," Yamaki-san said suddenly, walking through the door with Rika following after him, "is something we will have to figure out." He scowled at her, arms crossed in a frustrated sort of way. It was like he just couldn't believe what he was seeing. "For now, we're going to have you stay here tonight."

"But…"

"I'm sorry," he snapped, not letting her interject. "You're an enigma that we've never dealt with before. And we need to make sure that it's safe for you to be here."

"I don't understand," Zoe pleaded. She stared crying, unable to help herself, and Guilmon stepped forward to nuzzle her head with his snout comfortingly. "I'm not an evil digimon! I'm a girl who almost died to save the world, and you want to punish me for that?"

"You misunderstand," Yamaki sighed. "We are well aware that the digital world chooses its own digidestined in times of need. No one can simply decide to be a Tamer, they have to be chosen. So I am not questioning what you've done. My concern is that you are living on the real world, and digimon cannot live here safely for long periods of time without having to go back to the digital world for a while."

Zoe wiped her eyes, looking up at him with a new fear starting to fill her stomach. "What do you mean?" she sniffled. "You're saying that I'm…in danger?"

"I'm saying that you may be dying," he said gravely. "And unless you have a Tamer that can protect your data, you can't live on the human world. That's why we're going to have you stay here tonight, so that we can monitor your data and make sure that everything is alright. If you deteriorate too much, then you can simply dissipate and never come back. And if you've already been here too long, it may already be too late for you."

"I'm…going to die?"

"We'll find out. If you've deteriorated too much, you will have to go back to the digital world forever. But if your data looks fine, then you're going to have to stay here until we can get you a Tamer. Either way, it's not safe to leave things as they are."

"Don't worry, Zoemon," Guilmon said reassuringly. "Having a Tamer is nice. It means you only have to go back to the digital world once a year instead of forever."

Looking back and forth between the concerned faces that stared at her, Zoe was overcome with fear and despair. She burst into tears anew, hardly aware of Rika and Takato leading her to a bed room, setting her on the bed, and promising her that someone would be nearby in case she needed them.

It was just too traumatic to take in.

-o-

The following day found Ryo leaning against the school building wall, out of sight, watching the students come from all corners of the city. Soon, the one called Takuyamon would show up. And then he'd have to do something about it. _I don't want to take him in, _he thought, grimacing. _Especially when I think of that girl… she looked so scared. Is he really a digimon? It's not really possible for a human to be a mega, is it? _

Beside him, Cyberdamon growled impatiently. _"Ryo," _he growled.

Ryo turned to look at him, feeling relieved to have him beside him once more. It was always like losing his other half when Cyberdramon had to go back to the digital world for a while. "Hey Cy," he smiled. "What's up?"

"_There are two digimon approaching," _he said, his growling voice filled with eagerness. _"They are strong. Let me fight them." _

"No," Ryo chuckled. "I'm waiting to see if…" he paused, frowning suddenly. "What do you mean, _two_ digmon?"

"_Look," _Cyberdramon lifted his head as though to point, and Ryo followed his gaze. Takuyamon and the twins were walking together, talking. _"The two that are walking ahead of the other, side by side," _Cyberdramon explained. _"Those two are megas."_

"Both of them?" Ryo whispered. He pulled out his scanner and checked, growing alarmed when the result came back exactly as his partner said. One of them was Takuyamon, and the other was Koujimon. Koujimon had a Tamer. "I don't believe it," he whispered. "There's more of them? How many of these human digimon are there?"

"_Let me fight them, and I'll find out," _Cyberdramon stepped forward.

Ryo shoved him back quickly, chewing his lip with concern when both Takuyamon and Koujimon froze, looking around them in alarm. "They can sense your fighting spirit!" he admonished. "Go home, Cy, I need to talk to them without you today."

Growling in frustration, Cyberdramon flew away without another word. But it was easy to tell that he was displeased. Thankful that for the first few days after Cyberdramon came back from the digital world he was a little more obedient, Ryo turned his attention back to the digimon.

Now he just had to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do.

-o-

"Takuya," Kouji grabbed his friend by the shirt, halting him before they separated to go to their own classes. His face was grim, and he glanced from side to side to make sure no one was looking. "You felt that right? The digimon that wanted to fight us on our way into school?"

Takuya nodded, thinking back. It was only just a few minutes ago. They'd met up with each other a few blocks from school and were talking to each other about their plans for the day, when suddenly their senses started blaring at them that a digimon was going to attack them. But then nothing had happened, and they'd gone into the building with silent wariness.

"You need to watch your back," Kouji continued. "There are three other Tamers at this school besides Kouichi. That digimon we felt belongs to one of them."

"So what should I do?" Takuya whispered back. "Do you think they know about me?"

Kouji nodded. "I'm sure of it. Kouichi's digivice went off as soon as you were within range, so theirs must have gone off too. Just watch yourself, okay? And if you need help, we'll come to you."

"Thanks," Takuya smiled. They separated and went into their classrooms, but for the rest of the day, all Takuya could think about was whether or not he'd be taken away by the Tamers. It kept him from learning anything all day.

By the time the bell finally announced the end of the day, Takuya practically exploded with relief. He jumped from his chair excitedly, throwing a fist in the air, and dashed from the room in high spirits.

At the end of the hall he froze, skidding to a stop and standing agitatedly, as the rest of the students moved past him. They talked with each other, went about their way, or left building on their way home, while he just stood there like a statue, unable to move.

Across from him, ten feet away, stood a Tamer.

He was alone, standing with his hands in his pockets and a serious expression on his face. His brown hair and blue eyes made him seem not quite Japanese, as though one of his parents had been a foreigner, and his features might be considered good looking. He was Takuya's sempai, probably sixteen years old, and he carried a sense of power and authority that Takuya had never felt in anyone else ever before.

The halls emptied, until only the two of them were left, staring at each other. It was tense, awkward, and it felt dangerous.

It took many minutes before Takuya mustered the strength to do anything. "Oh, look at the time," he laughed nervously. "Guess I'd better go too…" he turned as if to run away.

"Wait," the Tamer commanded.

Takuya halted halfway through his step, unable to move. With just one word, he felt like his will had been stripped from him—like he could do nothing but obey.

"I want to talk to you," the Tamer said.

"Do I have a choice?" Takuya grimaced. His only reply was a blank stare, so he sighed and gave in. "Where?" he asked gravely.

Glancing sideways at the staircase near them, the Tamer nodded his head. "The roof," he said. "Follow me." As he walked, he turned and glanced back at Takuya, and his expression was daunting. "Come on," he insisted.

Again, he was forced to obey, and cursing himself inwardly, Takuya followed him up the flights of stairs and out onto the roof of the school. His thoughts whirled anxiously. _Should I try to call Kouji? Maybe I should run away? Or no…I shouldn't have to! I can just explain myself, I've done nothing wrong! _

"What's your name?"

Takuya's head snapped up, and he realized he'd been standing on the roof staring at his shoes for a while now. He hesitated, showing his concern on his face. Should he answer? _Why not? _"Takuya," he said. "What about you?"

"I'm Ryo," the Tamer replied. "And I'm a Tamer."

"I know," Takuya mumbled.

"And you're a digimon."

Waiting before replying, Takuya tried to think of any way he could weasel out of that one without lying. There really wasn't any option. "I am," he admitted.

Ryo turned away, a sudden pang of regret passing over his face. It surprised Takuya, and for a moment, he wondered why he would feel that way. But then Ryo turned back, looking as blank as before. "Why do you look like a human?" he asked. "What are you doing here? Did you not know that you need a Tamer in order to live on the human world?"

"I'm not originally a digimon," Takuya snapped defensively. "I _am _a human! I only became a digimon because…" he paused. "You wouldn't understand, anyway! I'm not even sure that I understand how it works. But it doesn't matter, because this _is _my home, and I'm not leaving!"

"Why wouldn't I understand?" Ryo asked quietly. "I've lived on both worlds, and I too have become a digimon briefly when the need called for it."

"Wait…you've been a digimon?" Takuya blurted. "But you're not anymore? Does that mean I can change back?"

"I don't know if you can change back," Ryo shrugged. "But my experience was different than yours. I biomerged with my partner to become Justimon, only briefly. But you haven't answered my question. Why wouldn't I understand? Don't you think that out of everyone on this planet, a Tamer would understand?" His eyes burned, as though his inner feelings were rising to the surface.

_He's…concerned about me, _Takuya realized. It was something he had not expected. "I…" he turned away, looking out over the roof at the city. It had never occurred to him that the Tamers would try to understand him. He'd just assumed they would attack him and kick him out. "It's just… I was called there, you know?"

"To the digital world?" Ryo asked. Takuya nodded. "You were called to the digital to save it, right? That's what happens. I know, I was called too." He smiled, remembering the experience fondly. "You give everything to save the world, even if it means you never come back the same, don't you? I know, because it's the same for me. That's what makes us Chosen."

"Exactly," Takuya said. He grinned, despite his fears about what might happen. "And I couldn't just give up, not when Lucemon was going to destroy our world too! That's why we _had _to biomerge together. But then we defeated him, and when we got home…" his voice trailed off as he realized that Ryo was staring at him with a shocked expression. "What?" he asked, growing concerned.

"Lucemon?" Ryo demanded. "You were the ones that fought Lucemon?"

"You know about him?" Takuya asked.

"Four years ago," Ryo grimaced, "a hole opened up between our two worlds, and Lucemon tried to claw his way through. He sent out a message on every phone, TV, computer, everything, that he was going to rule over us. We couldn't even get close to him, though, because another digimon came and yanked him back into the digital world and closed off the link."

"Yeah, that was us!" Takuya grinned. "We all biomerged to become Susanoomon, and totally defeated Lucemon together! It was awesome! But then we all had to go home."

"How many of you were there?"

"There were six of us."

"And you all came back as digimon?"

"Yeah. Originally we had the spirits of the Legendary Warriors, but when we had to biomerge with another human, that's when we had to become digimon."

"What?" Ryo blurted. He stepped back, his eyes wide with disbelief. "That's impossible! Humans can't be combined together. It's impossible!"

"I know that," Takuya sighed. "That's why we became digimon. There wasn't any other way to win, we had already lost up to that point. But anyway, that's what happened, and so I'm not just going to leave my home, leave my family, and go back to the digital world just because I'm a digimon now. I don't belong there, I belong here!"

"I…this is…" Ryo leaned against the fence that protected them from falling off the roof, and held his face with one hand. "So then that girl I met yesterday…"

Takuya's head snapped up, and he rushed forward, grabbing Ryo's shoulders with his hands. "What girl?" he demanded. "Was it Zoe? Did she say her name was Zoe? Where is she?"

Ryo sighed, dropping his hand tiredly. "She's at HYPNOS. Rika, another Tamer, took her there."

"No!" Takuya whispered. "Ryo, you have to help me get her back! They can't send her to the digital world. They _can't! _You heard my story, we can't be forced to leave!"

"That's…you've got it all wrong," Ryo shook his head. His expression turned serious, and he stepped away and whistled sharply, as though calling someone to come to him. "You obviously don't understand why we send digimon who don't have a Tamer back to the digital world, Takuya."

"Why?" Takuya glared. "Because you can't guarantee they wont go rampaging through the city without a Tamer to be responsible for them?"

"That has nothing to do with it, although it's true," Ryo shook his head. "But we have a good relationship with the digital world. Our two worlds are trying to work in unison, and allowing digimon to come live here is one way that we can do that. But the real reason is much more serious."

Suddenly, a massive digimon flew to the roof and landed beside then, growling menacingly. Takuya's senses informed him that this particular digimon—Cyberdramon—was not something to be trifled with. He growled as he looked in Takuya's direction. _"Ryo," _it said. There were no other words needed._  
_

"Cy, I want you to take Takuya and me to HYNPOS," Ryo commanded. He turned to Takuya. "You're coming with me, where I can explain everything. Trust me on this."

"Trust you?" Takuya stepped back. "How can I? You're just going to take me in? I'm not the bad guy here!"

"Takuya!" Ryo snapped. His voice was full of authority to such a degree, Takuya felt himself nearly cowering under the weight of it. "You need to come to HYPNOS because any digimon that stays in the real world too long will _die! _That's why they need a Tamer—so that they can have the strength to live here, and only have to go back to the digital world once a year. You've been here like this for four years! Do you know what happens to a digimon whose data has become too unstable to survive in the real world anymore?"

He shook his head, growing alarmed. That couldn't be true…could it? Kouji and Kouichi never said anything about it.

"I'll tell you," Ryo said gravely. "They go insane, tormented by pain until they go around destroying everything, unable to think or reason, and then dissolve into nothing. Not even a digiegg is left." He pulled out his digivice, swiped a card through it, and watched as Cyberdramon grew massively in size until he towered above them. "Carry us, Cy," he ordered.

Growling, the giant Cyberdramon bent over and grabbed both of them with his clawed hands, and swept off into the air. There was no where to run.

"Now that I know your story," Ryo called across the distance between them, "I have a responsibility to take care of you." He smiled, but his face looked sad. "If I can keep you from having to be sent back to the digital world, I will. But right now, we need to do everything we can to make sure you aren't going to die."

Takuya nodded, staring down at the ground as it swept past. It was too difficult to think about all that right now, so he tried not to. _I used to fly, _he thought wistfully. _Back in the digital world. I wonder if I ever will again? _

They arrived at HYPNOS only a few minutes later.

-o-

_Only being able to progress in the story one chapter at a time is actually quite difficult. I don't want to overload people on details, but I want them to learn at the same pace that Takuya does. So that makes writing even harder. All the same, I am enjoying the experience, and hopefully learning as I go._

_Let me know what you think, I am always encouraged by your comments!_

_~Rukatofan_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story contains slightly more mature content, including fighting/violence, sexual themes, and swearing, which is why I rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

Thank you to The Keeper of Worlds, the-ice-cold-alchemist, and Ho hot for your reviews and continued support! This chapter is dedicated to you because you not only took the time to tell me what you think, you have stuck with me since the beginning on my fun new story. Thank you so much!

-o-

**Chapter Five**

-o-

Takato stared at the computer screen, shaking his head in disbelief repeatedly. Beside him, Henry was muttering things under his breath—things like, how could this be possible? Why a mega? How did any of it make sense? All the while, Yamaki paced agitatedly back and forth through the room, barely restraining his frustrations.

"We've finished the testing," one of the analysts spoke up. She turned to face her boss, and smiled a little as Takato and Henry quickly came forward to join her. "The data is incredible," she added.

"Tell me," Yamaki ordered. He leaned forward to study the results as his employee obliged him with her report.

"Zoe Orimoto is definitely a digimon," she said, turning back to the screen and pulling up relevant information on the screen for them to see as she talked. "Her data is very complex, and her power level is very high, putting her at the mega level. Although her attacks are unknown, her data seems to be a lot more stable than a normal digimon's, with the rate of degeneration at five years."

"Five years," Takato sighed in relief. "So she's not in any danger right now. She still has one more year to find a Tamer."

"Even after she finds one," Henry scowled, "she'll still have to go back to the digital world to get re-stabilized."

"But why is she a mega?" Yamaki demanded. "Digimon are supposed to have the ability to de-digivolve to preserve their strength and data. But what about her? Is that even possible?"

"I don't know," the analyst sighed. "It doesn't make sense to me either."

"Why doesn't it?" Terriermon suddenly piped up. He'd been hanging onto Henry's shoulder for the several hours that they'd been researching about Zoe, watching in silence. He looked at each human with a calm smile, like they were all being silly. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"How?" Henry asked, turning his head so he could look at his friend and partner's face.

Terriermon chuckled. "Because a human is much more complex than a digimon. If she had to become a digimon, the only way her data and personality could be the same as before is if she is as complex as possible. Megas are one of the highest levels, and just about as complex as she would need to be in order to live."

"But then she can't de-digivolve," Takato confirmed. "Not at all."

"No, she can't," Terriermon nodded.

"So what do we tell her?" Henry asked Yamaki. "We can't just send her to the digital world, and at least we know she'll be fine for another year before anything dangerous happens to her."

"I don't know yet," Yamaki sighed. He began pacing anew, holding his head like it was starting to hurt tremendously. "She's an enigma. There's never been anything like this before. I knew that human and digimon could biomerge under the right circumstances, but to take it one step further….everything is changing! There's no standard that covers this!"

"We need to let her go home," Takato said firmly. "She has a family that is probably worried sick about her!"

"We can't just send her home," Yamaki snapped. "No, we need to bring her family here, first."

"I agree," Henry nodded. His face was grave. "Before we make any decision on what the right thing to do is for Zoe, her family needs to be a part of it. Chances are, they already know about her, and they might want to protect her. I think it's best if we give them a call, and sit down with them, Zoe, and us, and tell them what the situation is."

"They need to know that Zoe is a digimon," Yamaki agreed. "Then we need to work out a plan. Next year her data will be destabilized, and she will have to go back to the digital world forever—unless we can find her a Tamer. Her family needs to understand that, especially if they care about her wellbeing."

"Then I'll give them a call," the analyst nodded. "Why don't we bring Zoe back here? The poor girl is beside herself."

"Momentai," Terriermon jumped down from Henry's shoulder and went to the door. "Henry and I will comfort her."

"Right," Henry nodded. He followed his partner out the door to go to the room Zoe was staying in. He hoped he could help her to not feel so overwhelmed.

-o-

Takuya swallowed, staring at the large building in front of him with a feeling of uneasiness gripping him. "Do I have to go in?" he asked, grinning nervously.

Behind him, the Tamer Ryo placed a hand on his back and shoved him gently. "Yes," he said. There was no room to disobey in his tone. "You remember what I told you, right? It's my responsibility to make sure that you're not in critical danger."

"Well I…"

"Think about your family!" Ryo snapped. "What would they feel if you suddenly dissolved and never came back? Could you put them through that?"

Takuya turned to look at Ryo with shock on his face. That thought had not occurred to him. If that happened…if he died because he couldn't survive in the real world… he looked down, clenching his hands together. _I wont put them through that, _he thought. _I need to do what's right, even if I'm scared. I don't know what will happen to me, but it doesn't matter. This is the right thing to do. _Lifting his head with a sudden rush of determination, Takuya began to walk purposefully toward the building.

Behind him, Ryo sighed with relief, a small smile on his face. He walked beside Takuya casually, with Cyberdramon trailing behind them—he had reverted to his original size after they'd arrived.

"Ryo?" someone said in surprise, walking towards them and casting a nervous glance at Cyberdramon's massive, scary form. She was a woman in her twenties, who looked like she had some kind of administrative position. "I'm surprised to see you here. You hate coming to HYPNOS."

Ryo's smile did not quite reach his eyes. "Hello, Ichijo-san. I need to see Yamaki at once. Can you tell him I'm here?"

She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. "Well he's about to be in a meeting right now, and it's very important."

"This is more important," Ryo insisted. Takuya watched him curiously, noticing that he seemed to be very uncomfortable. The woman's words came back to him, and he wondered why Ryo hated coming to HYPNOS. Were they not on good terms? "I need to see him now."

Ichijo-san sighed heavily, and then motioned with her hand. "Well there's never any stopping you, anyway," she said. "Follow me. If you're here, then it must be serious." She led them through the hall and to an elevator, where they went up one floor and began to walk toward what appeared to be an office. On the door was a sign that confirmed it belonged to Yamaki. Pausing, Ichijo-san turned to frown at Ryo. "Just try to be sensitive, alright? This meeting is very important."

"I'll try," Ryo nodded. "But there isn't much time."

"I'm sure a few minutes or hours wont make a difference," Takuya said, growing awkward. He really did _not _want to get caught in some kind of unpleasant fight between Ryo and this Yamaki person. But before he could say anything else, a strange feeling washed over him. His senses were screaming at him that a digimon was approaching—a digimon that was in distress. He turned at once to see who it was, feeling protective, and found himself staring at two people walking down the hall toward them. One was obviously a Tamer, and a Terriermon clung to his shoulder. The other was a girl, his age, with long blonde hair and tears running down her cheeks.

All he had to do was look into her eyes to know that it was Zoe. The internal scanner that popped up inside him was completely unnecessary.

He ran at her without a second thought. "Zoe!" he called, gritting his teeth when he saw her tears. Her face brightened the second she saw him, and with a sudden rush of excitement, she also began to run.

"Takuya!" she cried, dashing into his arms.

For a moment he just held her, oblivious to the people staring at them in confusion. All he could think about was finally being reunited with one of his best friends in the whole world—a friend that was crying. With his arms wrapped around her, he began to feel angry and protective. "What's happened?" he demanded. "What did they do to you?"

"Nothing," Zoe sobbed, clinging to him and laughing at the same time that she was crying. "I'm just being emotional, that's all. It's just so much to take in…really, they've been very nice to me…"

"What's a lot to take in?" Takuya demanded. "Are you sure you're not hurt?" He pulled back, cupping her face in his hands and staring at her. After a moment, it occurred to him that it was awkward, and he dropped his hands and stepped back, blushing. Turning his head and coughing nervously, he tried to retain what coolness he could. "Glad you're alright," he mumbled. "It's…it's good to see you again."

Zoe giggled, hastily wiping tears from her eyes. Somehow, she seemed much more calm and reassured, and the distress that had alerted him to her presence before was now gone. "It's good to see you too, Takuya."

Their reunion was interrupted by someone coughing, and they turned to see a man wearing a suit and sunglasses staring at them with a scowl. "Ahem?" he said impatiently.

Ryo stepped forward. "Yamaki," he said quickly. "There's something important I need to tell you about…"

"Yes I can see," Yamaki interrupted. "It's fine. That's what this meeting is about." He turned, and a man and a women came forward beside him. "This is Mr. and Mrs. Orimoto, Zoe's parents," he said. He watched as Zoe rushed toward them, hugging them and reassuring them that she was alright. "We're about to have a meeting with them."

Understanding flickered into Ryo's eyes. "Can we join you?" he asked, glancing at Takuya.

Yamaki nodded. "Yes, but Cyberdramon must stay outside. He's not exactly the type that puts people at ease in a tight office."

Chuckling, Ryo nodded his head and turned to his partner. "Cy, go wait outside," he ordered. "I'll meet you later, and then we can go fight someone. Alright?"

Cyberdramon growled, and stormed away sulkily. The entire hallway of people breathed easier once he was gone.

"Everyone, please come inside," Yamaki directed, opening his office and walking in. Despite what he had said about it being a tight office, it was rather large and inviting. There was plenty of room for them, with several comfortable chairs around a coffee table. Yamaki's desk was on the far side of the room, but he chose to sit at the coffee table instead, and waited for everyone to be seated before he continued speaking. "I've brought you here because there is something very important we need to discuss," he said gravely. "About your daughter."

Zoe's parents, sitting on either side of her, reacted to that statement with appropriate concern. Her mother placed an arm around her shoulder protectively, while her father clenched his hands and leaned forward, scowling. "What do you have against my daughter?" he demanded, his tone sharp with accusation.

"Nothing," Yamaki replied. "I have nothing against her. But I fear that she is in danger."

"Is she a Tamer?" Mrs. Orimoto asked. She stroked her daughter's hair, anxious. "Zoe, what's wrong? You can tell us, you know."

Zoe hesitated, as though fear was beginning to overwhelm her, but when she saw Takuya smiling at her, she calmed down. Slowly, she stood and turned to face her parents. "Mom, Dad," she said determinedly. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you…something I was afraid to tell you. But now, I need to."

"Whatever it is, it's okay," her mother reassured. "We love you, Zoe."

Zoe nodded, her eyes growing moist again, but she did not cry. She had found her strength again, and the fiery determination that Takuya remembered fondly was still strong inside her. "I'm a digimon," she finally said. A weight seemed to lift off her shoulders with the confession, and she sighed in relief.

They stared at her, not understanding. Her dad pushed his glasses higher onto his face, scowling. "You mean you're a Tamer? You have a digimon?" he asked.

Zoe shook her head. "No…I _am _a digimon."

"How can that…" her mother's face grew pale, and her eyes darted over to Yamaki angrily. "What did you do to her?" she demanded.

"Nothing!" Zoe said quickly. "They've done nothing, Mom! It happened four years ago! There was an evil digimon trying to destroy the world, and I was called to go stop him. Me and Takuya here, and four others…" she glanced at Takuya, smiling momentarily as she remembered the fun and adventure they'd had, "we all had to become digimon to stop Lucemon from winning. It was the only way we could, and it allowed us to come home victorious."

"But…then…." Her mother held her forehead, looking faint. "How does…I don't understand! Why you? Four years ago, you were just eleven! Why didn't I hear anything about this?"

"I was too afraid to tell you," Zoe admitted. "I didn't want anything to change, so I just pretended it was all the same. Then I met a Tamer, and they brought me here to talk to me and see if everything was alright."

Zoe's father stood, pulling his daughter into his arms, and held her protectively. Then he looked up and met Yamaki's eyes. "Is she alright?" he asked. "We all know about the laws that require a digimon to have a Tamer, or else they must go back to the digital world. Does that mean that she has to leave?"

Yamaki sighed. "That's what this meeting is about," he replied. "Digimon require a Tamer to live here because otherwise, their data will be destroyed. As long as they have a Tamer, they only need to go back to the digital world to get re-stabilized once a year. Now, your daughter has much more complex data, because she was originally human. We _of course _will not take your daughter away from you. That would just be wrong."

Ryo exhaled with obvious relief, and Takuya felt himself growing relieved as well. But it didn't answer the most important question; what was going to happen to her? To him?

"So what now?" Zoe's mother asked. "Is she in any danger?"

"I'm afraid so," Yamaki nodded. "Because she is more complex, her data is safe up to five years before she has to go back to the digital world to stabilize. But without a Tamer, when those five years are up, she will have to go there forever."

"So she has to have a Tamer?" her father yelled. "What does that even mean? Are you saying she has to _belong _to some other person? That isn't right!"

"I'm saying that she needs a friend," Yamaki stood up. He reacted to the yelling by becoming defensive. "She needs someone who will be there for her as a friend so that she can stay here, which is her right! Tamers are just people who have been chosen to protect something greater than themselves. It's not something to be upset by! As long as she has a Tamer, she will only have to go back to the digital world once every five years."

"For how long?" Zoe asked, pulling away from her father's arms. "How long would I have to be there?"

"It's different for every digimon," Ryo said, speaking up for the first time. "Some digimon—like my partner, Cyberdramon—are easily destabilized. He needs to be there for at least a month before he can come back. Other digimon like Guilmon, Takato's partner, are very stable and only have to be there for a day or two. In your case, I think it wouldn't be very long. Your data is complex and very stable, and can last five years before deteriorating. That is good news." He smiled reassuringly.

"So then we just need to get her a Tamer?" her father asked. "Okay, let's do it. We'll do whatever it takes to make sure our Zoe is safe." His arms tightened around her.

"I agree," Yamaki nodded. "But I'm afraid it isn't that simple. We can't just assign anyone we want to be her Tamer. It has to be someone who is strong enough to support such a high-level digimon such as her. Preferably, we would want her to partner with someone who has a compatible digisoul. But anyone who is strong enough will do."

"A what?" Takuya blurted thoughtfully. The others looked at like they had just noticed he was there. "What is a digisoul? I haven't heard that term before. Is it like a Spirit?" He thought of Agunimon, growing wistful. It had been four years since he'd had contact with his old partner, and he missed him.

"A digisoul is something internal that only certain people carry," Ryo said quietly. "It's what makes someone a Tamer, what allows them to be chosen. You can't try to make it happen, it's just something that the digital world does. The stronger that digisoul is, the more digimon someone is able to partner with. But if it is at a very basic level, they may only be able to handle one very calm and subdued digimon that wont digivolve much."

"So Zoe just needs to find someone strong enough, then?" her mother asked. "How can we tell if they are strong or weak?"

"That is something we are still trying to figure out," Yamaki admitted. "Honestly, Zoe will know when she meets someone who is strong enough. The problem is that there are only a few Tamers with a digisoul that can support someone as strong as she is. All of those Tamers already have partners, and the chances of finding someone who doesn't is very slim."

"And it's really difficult to have more than one partner," Henry—one of the Tamers—smiled sadly. "Most people only want one digimon. Having a second….I don't think I could handle it, and I doubt many other people would either."

Zoe slumped against her dad, despair covering her face. "I'll never find someone, then. Who's going to want to be partners with a weird human-shaped digimon?" she whimpered.

Once again, Takuya was overcome with the desire to protect her. Standing up enthusiastically, he clenched his hand in a fist as though to defy reality. "It's not impossible!" he said. "Otherwise, the Legendary Warriors would have never sent us home. They would never do something like that to us. Beside, Kouji already found his Tamer, so there's definitely someone for us too!"

Zoe's head snapped up at his words. "Kouji?" she whispered. "W-who? Who is it?"

Takuya's grin was excitedly infectious. "Who do you think?" he laughed. "Kouichi!"

Zoe blinked, staring, and then suddenly began to laugh. Yamaki, her parents, Ichijo-san and the Tamers who sat with them just stared, as though not understanding the joke. But that didn't stop her. She was filled with relief and joy, and everyone could see it. "Kouichi!" she finally said, beginning to control her laughter. "Of course it is…they're twins, after all!"

Takuya noticed the look of comprehension on Ryo's face, and figured that he probably knew who they were talking about. But he ignored that and went over to hold out his hand to Zoe. "Don't worry, Zoe," he said firmly. "You wont have to go back to the digital world forever. I'll look out for you for as long as it takes."

She reached out and grasped his hand, smiling. "I'm counting on you," she said.

An invisible explosion of strength and energy flowed between them—Burst Mode, as Kouichi had called it—but they didn't think about that. It was just encouraging to see each other again, after all this time, and to hear that there was hope. They didn't have to be afraid of the Tamers.

The Tamers were the answer to everything.

-o-

It was a long day, Ryo realized, as he returned to his apartment, walked up the long stairs to the roof, and laid down with his hands clasped behind his head. As he stared at the sky, he thought back to everything that had happened. The meeting with Zoe's family had been strangely eventful and eye-opening, and it had left him encouraged. At least Yamaki had matured over the years, and had handled it well. He'd been afraid that HYPNOS would try to control the humans who had been turned into digimon, instead of trying to help them.

"It's nice to know that people can change," he sighed.

Standing beside him, Cyberdramon looked down at him in silence, studying him. After a moment, he too sat down and stared at the sky. _"Why is it so strange?" _he asked quietly.

"That people can change?" Ryo frowned. "I don't know. You get used to how people are, I guess, and just assume they'll always be that way."

"_No," _Cyberdramon growled. _"Why is it so strange that the human children became digimon? Why is it strange that they need a Tamer?" _

Surprised, Ryo sat up, turning so he could study his friend's face. There was no emotion written on his features, so he wasn't sure what Cyberdramon was thinking. "It's not strange to you?" he asked.

"_No," _his partner said again. _"It is easy for me to sense it. Those children were chosen by the digital world because they are like you. They are Tamers. But instead of partnering with a digimon, they had to become one in order to win. You and I have become digimon together too, why is it so hard for you to understand?" _

"Because we could only do it in the digital world," Ryo frowned. "Or no, that's not right. Alice's dobermon gave up his data so that we could biomerge here, too."

"_So in a way, you are half-digimon. Your human DNA has become compatible with data, so that if it was required, you could become a mega by joining with me." _

"But those guys…they're stuck as digimon forever," Ryo sighed. He laid back down and watched the clouds, trying to sort out his mind. "I wonder what that feels like. I wish…" he let his voice trail off, and did not finish his thought.

But he didn't have to. Cyberdramon understood. _"Then come away with me," _he said. _"You don't have to stay here forever. You have a home in the digital world, with me. We were strong leaders there, remember? The two of us helped to keep the peace, and arranged good relationships between our two worlds. No one would deny you access…you can go whenever you want to." _

"What about my family?" Ryo asked quietly. He thought about his dad, the alcoholic, who pushed him to go to school like a normal kid. He thought about his mom, the woman he never got to see because she had divorced his father and moved back overseas where she came from. Somewhere on the other side of the world, he knew, he had a sister that she'd taken with her. And deep in his heart, he wished that he could find them.

If he went to the digital world forever, then he'd never get the chance to find them.

"_They don't want you," _Cyberdramon growled angrily. _"I want you! Why isn't that enough for you?" _

"Because they're my family," Ryo's jaw tightened. His emotions threatened to boil to the surface, and his eyes ached with tears that he could not and _would _not shed. "And everyone needs to be wanted by their family."

Sighing in exasperation, his partner laid down on the roof beside him. _"I've told you before and I'll tell you again, as many times as you need to hear it," _he said. _"I'll always be here for you. I will be your family, your friend, and your protector. Wherever you go, I'll go with you. Whatever you want to do, I will support you. And if you want to be with your family, then I will not stop you. After all, we were destined to be together, from the beginning." _

"Destined, huh?" Ryo chuckled once. As always, the words of his partner touched him deeply, reassuring his inner fears and insecurities. "The way I remember it, you and I were enemies, too strong to be defeated by anyone else, and too strong to defeat each other. We became partners so that the whole world wouldn't be destroyed in our battles."

"_Isn't that destiny?" _Cyberdramon asked. _"I need someone strong, and you are the strongest. Among all the Tamers in the whole world, there is no one that I have ever sensed who is at your level. Even with me as your partner, you could have as many other digimon under you as you wanted." _He paused, then growled. _"But I wouldn't like that." _

"Neither would I," Ryo rolled his eyes. "Last time I took on another partner, it was because you wanted me to. You insisted that if you had a co-partner that you could spar with, you'd get stronger. That was a nightmare!"

"_That's because you chose too weak of a partner," _Cyberdramon admonished.

"Meramon is not weak," Ryo argued, grinning. "You're just insane. Honestly, there isn't anyone at your level either, except maybe Guilmon when Takato's super motivated."

At those words, his partner stayed silent, and it peaked Ryo's curiosity. Normally when he said these kinds of things, his partner would brag about his strength and then get crazy about trying to find a strong opponent to fight with. He half expected Cyberdramon to begin demanding a fight right now.

"Cy?" Ryo asked, turning his head. "Are you alright?"

His digimon offered a low growl, not responding.

"You're not upset, are you?" Ryo asked, sitting up and placing a hand on his partner's arm. He felt a pang of sadness rush through him. Cyberdramon was obsessed with fighting, to the point where it caused him physical discomfort to not fight. And it had made him incredibly happy when he could fight the D-Reaper four years ago, because he had never pushed himself to such a degree before. Since then, there had been no single digimon that could stand up to him. He would never admit it, but Ryo knew—it made him lonely. "We could fight," he offered quietly. "You and me. We haven't had a good sparring match in a while."

Cyberdramon shook his head. _"That's not it," _he said.

"Then what's wrong? You can tell me. I'm here for you too, just as you are here for me."

His partner glanced at him, and then looked away. There was a thoughtful expression on his face. _"I want…" _he said, and then growled awkwardly.

Ryo felt agitated with suspense. "Yes?" he pressed. "What do you want?"

"_I don't want to tell you." _

"That's not fair!"

"_Ryo…" _Cyberdramon sat up, flexing his wings as he paused, and gave his Tamer a serious look. _"I want to fight that digimon. The strong one—the one who you brought to HYPNOS." _

Ryo felt the color drain from his face, and he flopped onto his back with a groan. "You mean Takuya?" he complained. "Cy…."

"_He is strong, Ryo." _

"Of course he _seems_ strong! He's a mega! But that's just because of how complex his data is, and no, you can't fight him."

"_That's not fair." _

"You can't expect me to just let you fight a human! I'm different, Cy. I fought with you because digimon were my life, and I lived on the digital world for years, learning how to fight. But Takuya…He's…"

"_A digimon," _Cyberdramon growled. _"He's different from you! You can't compare yourself to him. You and I could not defeat each other because your digisoul connects strongly to mine, and so our attacks cancelled out each other. Takuyamon is different. He is strong, stronger than any other digimon I have ever felt."_

Growing serious, Ryo crossed his arms and tried to think. When Cyberdramon had gotten it in his head to fight, nothing would stop him from it. It would gnaw at him more and more until he became unbearable, threatening to go wild and attack without permission. But this instance was serious. Takuya had no Tamer, no protection for his data if Cyberdramon won—which, undoubtedly, he would. He couldn't let him fight him. Then again, he might not be able to prevent it.

"I can't let you fight him," Ryo sighed, seeing no way around it. "He doesn't have a Tamer. You'll kill him, and that's murder. I wont let you do it."

"_Then __**you**__ become his Tamer. That way, we can spar, and I can become stronger," _Cyberdramon's voice was filled with desire, and his power levels began to grow. He was already hungering for the fight too much.

"No, I'm not going to become his Tamer, Cy. That's ridiculous, and way too much work."

"_Why not? You're afraid because he needs someone like you, but you are unwilling to train him." _

"I'm unwilling to set him up to be killed by you!"

Cyberdramon growled, staring thoughtfully at the sky. But then his will to fight overwhelmed every other thought and feeling. _"I wont kill him," _he breathed excitedly._ "He is too strong to die from just a fight. Yes…he is very strong. I _must _fight him!" _

"Cy, no!" Ryo jumped up. But his partner was already in the air, flying away at top speed. Grabbing his head in frustration, Ryo cursed himself for not stopping him sooner, and dashed after him as fast as he could. "GET BACK HERE!" he yelled. As he ran, he was thankful that he'd had the foresight to keep his cards and digivice with him. "Well," he sighed, pulling out the card labeled 'submit' and swiping it as fast as he could. "Cyberdramon's back."

Really, he should be used to this by now.

-o-

_Thanks so much for sticking with me and continuing to read my story. What do you think? Anything you like or dislike, or wish to see more of? Are there any questions left unanswered that are killing you? Hopefully the direction I'm taking wont frustrate you all, but either way, I will do my best to tell the story that is stuck in my head. I hope you enjoy it!_

_Thanks again, and see you next chapter!_

_~Rukatofan_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story contains slightly more mature content, including fighting/violence, sexual themes, and swearing, which is why I rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

_**Thank you! **_to the-ice-cold-alchemist, The Keeper of Worlds, Musically Correct, ho hot, Tenzaromon, and Swanhilde for your AMAZING reviews and support! All of you have made me excited to share my story with you, which is great because I was really shy about it at first. I thought people would hate it. Thank you so much! This chapter is dedicated to _all of you_, but especially to The Keeper of Worlds (who has reviewed every chapter super fast!) and Tenzaromon (who writes such detailed and amazing reviews!). Thank you!

-o-

**Chapter Six**

-o-

Shinya hesitated only to stare and the enormity of the building, before walking through the automatic doors into the HYPNOS Headquarters. The entry area was large, and full of activity, but otherwise pristine and professional. If he hadn't felt so sure of what he was here for, he might have just become overwhelmed and walked right out again.

But he couldn't. He had to become a Tamer.

Walking up to the front desk, he cleared his throat and looked up at the receptionist—a gorgeous woman in her thirties who looked like she stepped right out of a movie. "Excuse my interruption," he said politely. "I'd like to become a Tamer."

She smiled down at him, her expression polite but patronizing. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked.

Shinya shook his head. "No, but it's important. I have to become a Tamer, everything depends on it!"

With a small sigh, she turned and typed something into the computer, and then smiled at him again. "Might as well have you tested," she said. "But don't get your hopes up. Hundreds come in every day to become a Tamer, and only one or two a month are actually chosen."

The odds did not sound good, but he didn't care. He clenched his fist in determination. "I wont fail," he assured her.

"For your sake, I hope not. Here is one of our scientists, if you follow him, he can give you the tests to see if you qualify." A man stepped forward to lead him away, and she turned back to her computer. "May I have your name, for our records?"

"Kanbara Shinya," he replied.

As he followed the scientist bravely through the halls further into the building, he did not see the look of surprise on the receptionists face as she recognized his family name. Nor did he hear her pick up her headphones and contact Yamaki to tell him that Takuya's brother had arrived—in order to become a Tamer.

-o-

Zoe threw herself on her bed, exhausted from hours upon hours of stress and talking. Not only had it taken forever to finally get out of HYPNOS, her parents had spent even more time talking to her about her adventure in the digital world. She had to tell them the whole story, as best as she could remember it, and they had kept interrupting with questions upon questions! When that was over, they had to discuss to death all the possible plans and what they were going to do with her.

Only after she had collapsed onto the couch crying and begged to go to bed did they soften up and send her to her room. But she could still hear them talking to each other in serious tones. Even though the whole situation was both serious and overwhelming, the weird thing was that it didn't even scare her anymore. Relief kept flooding through her every time she thought about Takuya, and what he had said to her, and a smile transformed her face. They'd even exchanged addresses and phone numbers!

She curled up on her side, bringing her hands to her face and cupping her cheeks. They still felt warm from when he had held her, and the memory of his face—concern written all over it—was burned into her memory forever.

Burned, yes. That was what it was like. She felt burned by his touch…his memory…his smell. Everything about him made her feel safe and thrilled, and at the same time it tormented her. She wished he could be here, right now, holding her. She imagined his hands holding her body, not just touching her back, but sliding lower and lower…

Zoe cringed as a sudden jab of pain twinged between her legs. Her body trembled with a strange desire that she had never felt before, and she didn't know how she could handle it. "Takuya…" she whispered, sliding one hand down her stomach until it reached the lining of her jeans. Breathlessly she hesitated. Somewhere at the back of her mind, the voice of reason was berating her. _What are you doing? _She thought to herself. _This isn't normal, is it? _

The burning ache between her legs screamed louder than those thoughts. With trembling hands she unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, and slid her hand down to find that her lower area was drenched. She slipped her middle finger between the moist folds and gasped, shuddering and closing her eyes. The feeling was electric! It thrummed through her like nothing she'd ever felt before.

"Takuya," she moaned, too quietly to be heard by her parents out in the kitchen, but loud enough that it seemed sharp against the silence of her room. She thought about his smile, his burning eyes, full of life, and the feel of his hands as they touched her face. They were gentle, dry, and warm—and the energy that had leapt between the two of them was so euphoric, she could barely describe it in words.

Sliding her finger in deeper, she began rubbing and pumping herself harder and harder until she could barely keep up. There was a peak coming, she could feel it building inside her, driving her crazy! But her arm was too tired. So close but not close enough, her hand gave out, and tears slipped out of her eyes. Why couldn't she get there?

Even with the other hand, she couldn't get any closer to her climax. Finally she was too worn out to keep going, and she lay panting and shuddering on her bed feeling unfulfilled. "This sucks," she moaned, squeezing her eyes shut and ignoring the tears that slid down her burning cheeks.

That was when she decided that she could not-_could not!_—think about Takuya anymore.

-o-

Takuya was feeling hopeful again.

In fact, the feeling of hope was so overwhelming, that for the first time in the four years since he came back from the digital world, he felt like himself again. The old Takuya was back! No more staring off into space with depressing thoughts weighing on his mind. No more fear keeping him from making new friends and enjoying life.

He had a whole year to find a Tamer, and after that, he'd only have to go back to the digital world every five years. Sure, finding the right Tamer might be difficult, but Takuya was not a quitter, no sir!

Dashing into his house, he found his parents sitting at the dinner table, waiting for him, and paused just long enough to realize that this was not something they did unless they had something serious to discuss with him. He kicked off his shoes at the gaikan and walked in, smiling hesitantly. "Mom? Dad?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

His mother clasped her hands together, eyes burning with barely restrained anger. "Sit," she ordered in her most commanding Mom-Voice.

Takuya hastily sat in the chair at the furthest end of the table, gulping. _Oh no, _he thought. _What now? Is it about school? I didn't learn a thing today. Or is it about me being a digimon? _He nearly whacked himself in the head with his hand. _Of course it's about that, idiot! Look at their faces! _

His father was the first one to speak, clearing his throat with great poise. "Takuya," he began gravely. "We got a call from someone named Yamaki at HYPNOS, not too long ago." He paused, watching his son's face, and continued. "He said that he had something very important to tell us, and that even if you didn't tell us, he would."

"How could you NOT SAY SOMETHING TO US?" his mother suddenly burst in, standing up and slamming her hands down on the table. "We're your PARENTS! Do you think we wouldn't understand? That we wouldn't love you? What do you take us for?"

"Misaki," Takuya's father scolded.

She sighed loudly and angrily, and sat heavily back down in her chair without another word.

"So I asked Yamaki-san to simply tell us," his father continued. "I figured, knowing you, it might take you another four years to tell us."

"I was going to tell you today," Takuya cut in defensively. "It's just that I was so afraid all those years, I didn't think I could! But now that I know it's going to be alright…"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE'VE BEEN THINKING ALL THESE YEARS?" his mother yelled again. "We thought something TERRIBLE had happened! We were even going to hire a private investigator, in case someone had done something to you when you were a boy and you were too traumatized to talk about it…"

Takuya blushed awkwardly, standing and waving his hands. "It wasn't like that!" he blurted. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so, so, so, sorry that I didn't tell you guys, really! Please, can't you forgive me?"

"How could you not tell us?" his mother repeated, and her eyes filled with years. Throwing herself into her husband's arms, she cried onto his shoulder.

He patted her back with his hand, used to her emotional behavior. "Takuya, if you were a man, you would have come to us. We are your parents, and we would have been there for you. I am disappointed that you didn't think you could come to us."

"I know," Takuya hung his head. "I'm sorry." The weight of their words began to gnaw at him, and he sighed heavily. _They're right. I don't know what's wrong with me. It's not like they would have kicked me out or anything. Maybe they wouldn't have believed me at first, but I could have proved it to them by going to HYNPOS. Now I wish that I had! It would have all been so much easier… _

"It is good to dwell on your mistakes," his father said quietly. "But only if you reflect on them briefly. It is time to learn from them, and to move forward. You must be stronger, and become a man."

"You're right!" Takuya clenched his hands into fists. "I'm sorry I didn't come to you guys to tell you that I'd become a digimon. I promise, I will always come to you from now on."

"Good," his father nodded. He held out his hand, and grinning, Takuya took it. "Now," his father commanded. "I want you to go back to HYPNOS and find your brother."

Takuya blinked, momentarily confused. "Um…Shinya is at HYPNOS?" he asked. "Why?" He paused, then let go of his father's hand so he could face palm. "Of course…he went to try and become a Tamer!"

"Unlike you, he asked permission," his mother snapped. "You should have asked permission before going to the digital world in the first place!"

"You would have said no," Takuya scowled.

"Damn right I would have!" she yelled.

Beside her, Takuya's father raised his eyebrows. "Misaki!" he scolded.

She sighed exasperatedly. "Sorry. Yes, I would have forbidden you from going."

"Then we all would have died," Takuya said gravely. "Even if everyone else went, and I stayed behind, we would have all died. I know, because at one time, I was given the opportunity to go back and make it so that I never went in the first place. But I didn't stop myself from going. If I had, none of us would be alive right now."

His parents looked at him strangely, unsure what to think or say, until finally, his father cleared his throat again. "Go get your brother," he ordered, "and come back. Then, you're going to tell us the _whole story_—everything that happened at the digital world. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Takuya sighed. He stood, put on his shoes, and ran out the door.

It was really becoming a long, long day.

-o-

"Kanbara Shinya?" a man wearing a suit and dark sunglasses walked into the testing room, smiling amusedly. "You look very similar to your brother, although your hair is a little bit lighter."

Shinya glared at him, feeling defensive instantly. "Who are you?" he demanded. "How do you know my brother?"

"He was just here," the man said.

Shinya froze, dread gripping him so suddenly, he almost couldn't breathe. Then he ran at the man so fast, the movement was barely visible. Grabbing him by the shirt, he pulled him down so that he could stare at him face to face. "What have you done to my brother?" he demanded.

To his surprise, the man just laughed, pried his hand off his shirt, and stepped back. "I told him what he needed to hear and sent him home. Your brother is, fine, Shinya. I don't know what you've been told, but we're actually the good guys."

His face broadcasting his doubt, Shinya glared at him and turned away. "Whatever," he said. "I don't trust you. I'm just here to get certified as a Tamer."

"And what makes you think that you are Tamer material? Hmm? Only the digital world can choose who is a Tamer and who isn't," the man shrugged.

"Then the digital world is just going to have to chose me," Shinya rolled his eyes. "Who are you, anyway?"

"That is Yamaki-san, the President of HYPNOS," one of the scientists who had been testing Shinya replied, smiling in amusement. "He is the one who made it possible for us to continue having good relations with the digital world. And he is the one who will tell you if you are a Tamer or not."

Feeling a little put in his place, Shinya stared at the ground awkwardly. Of course, he'd end up in a fight with the one person he needed to make a good impression on. Sighing, he turned and sucked up his pride, offering Yamaki-san a bow. "Forgive me," he said. "I'm just protective of my brother, I meant no disrespect."

"I'll give you points for behavior, but I've worked with children long enough to know when they mean disrespect," Yamaki smirked. "You were asking for fight, little hot-head."

_Don't let him provoke you, _he told himself, gripping his fists tightly and forcing a smile. "Let's get to the point," he said. "I've been scanned, they've taken my finger prints, and they even took a blood sample. So I'm guessing you're here to give me the news."

"I am," Yamaki nodded. His face was blank, and a tense silence stretched between them.

Finally, Shinya could wait no longer.

"Just give me the damn certificate," he said, staring evenly into Yamaki's face.

For a moment, Yamaki obliged his staring contest, keeping his face expressionless. But then he began to laugh, shaking his head. "You are a piece of work," he said, amused, and slipped a hand into his pocket. When he brought it out, he flicked something at Shinya's face. "Take it," he grinned. "You passed, Tamer Kanbara Shinya."

Shinya caught the laminated certificate with one hand, and then stared at it suspiciously. He could hardly believe it was real, but there it was! His very own card that proved he was a Tamer. "Is that it?" he asked.

"Not quite," Yamaki replied. "You don't have a digivice yet, which means that you haven't had a real need for it before now. Normally it would appear on its own, and it's one way to prove that you are a Tamer. In your case, we scanned your DNA and ran it through a computer that exposed it to the unique power of the digital world, to see if it would react. If it didn't, you'd be going home disappointed. But luckily for you, there was quite a strong reaction. Digivice or not, you are definitely a Tamer."

"I knew it," Shinya grinned. Sighing with relief, he stuck his card in his pocket. He had always felt a special love and connection with digimon, ever since he heard about them when he was seven. Now, it all made sense. "So how do I get a digivice?"

"Just come with me, and we'll get one for you. Do you have a phone or a gaming consol you're willing to give up?"

"My phone…" Shinya pulled it out. He watched as Yamaki-san took it and stuck it into a machine. "What are you…" he couldn't even finish his sentence before the machine turned on, zapping his phone with bright electric energy. He gaped in surprise as it melted away into data, and then reformed as a white, green, and brown digivice. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Now that's awesome!"

Smirking, Yamaki-san pulled it out and handed it to him. "Normally this is where I recommend you come meet some digimon who are dying for a partner, but I figure you already have someone in mind."

"Pretty much," Shinya shrugged. He grinned, holding the device in his hands with a feeling of awe and excitement. "Thank you," he said honestly, turning to everyone in the room. He bowed, for the first time actually meaning the respect he was showing. "Thank you so much!"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and dashed out of the building to get home.

-o-

"I wonder if he actually is a Tamer now," Takuya mumbled. He had stopped running after a while, content to walk the rest of the way into the city in case he passed his brother on the way to finding him. "Or maybe he was rejected, and now he's off feeling miserable. Poor Shinya…he wants it so bad, too. He's always talked about being a Tamer, even before he knew I was a digimon."

Pausing, Takuya stared up at the sky. As he thought about it, he became more and more sure that Shinya would definitely come home certified.

"After all, he is _my _brother," he grinned. "And I'm definitely chosen by the digital world! I'll bet he's on his way home right now. I'll bet _he _can be my Tamer, and then I never have to worry about my data destabilizing."

It was because he was staring at the sky that he saw it coming. If he hadn't been, that moment would most likely have been his last.

Takuya flung himself sideways just in time to avoid a massive digital attack, which was rapidly followed by what seemed like a million slashing claws. Somewhere he head a gravely, terrifying voice growling out _"Desolation Claw!" _but after that, it was just a whirlwind of debris and attacks. It took every reflex and ounce of adrenaline in him to avoid the torrent of death that pursued him.

When the dust cleared, he was standing on the sidewalk of a deserted street, panting. Across from him the daunting form of Cyberdramon waited. Takuya's eyes widened with horror. _He's gone insane! _He thought, staring at the digimon with his senses. Cyberdramon's power levels were off the chart, spiking higher than was possible for his level. His hunger for the fight was so great, if it wasn't sated, he would most likely get stronger and stronger until he evolved, and then who knew what would happen after that!

"Hey!" he yelled, coughing dust in annoyance. "Where's your Tamer? You can't just attack someone for the heck of it. Who do you think you are?"

"_Desolation Claw!" _Cyberdramon hissed, slashing the air and sending the dark destructive energy at Takuya's face. Its speed was frightening.

Takuya dove out of the way, rolling to a clumsy stop, and then turned to look over his shoulder at the damage. The entire side of the building had been reduced to rubble and ashes. "Hey!" he yelled again, growing angrier. "That's not alright!" he glared as he spoke, standing up. "You cannot destroy public property like this. I won't allow it!" Rushing forward with a burst of righteous anger, Takuya attacked the digimon with all of his strength.

The two of them collided in a mess of sparks and claws, Takuya punching and kicking, and Cyberdramon slashing and throwing attacks. Repeatedly they assaulted one another until their bodies were bruised and bloody, and they were forced to retreat and circle each other, looking for openings. Even though Takuya was merely using his fists, the impact was full of digital energy, and Cyberdramon had nearly lost the use of one of his arms. On top of that, his wings had been damaged, from where Takuya had ripped at them with his hands and torn a couple of them.

Takuya, on the other hand, had been slashed and bitten repeatedly. His clothes were torn, and blood dripped from his arms, torso, and shoulder. He couldn't feel his left arm at all, and one eye was having trouble seeing.

But it just made him feel more _alive. _

"Alright you big maniac," Takuya growled. He grinned, growing more and more focused on the fight. His instincts were taking over, and despite his injuries, he desired more. "Let's really get this started!"

Cyberdramon revealed his teeth in a sickening grin, growling incomprehensibly. He lifted his hands above his head, beginning to charge up a sphere of dark, reddish-black energy. It grew larger and larger, until it was nearly the size of a car.

Takuya tensed, his eyes growing wide with horror. He could feel the destructive energy of the sphere, and he knew that if that attack went off, the entire city might be destroyed. "No!" he screamed. Throwing aside any concern for the fight or for his life, he dashed at Cyberdramon with all of the strength he had left, and jumped into the air with his hand outstretched.

There was no plan, no great inspiration about how to stop it, just his resolve that no matter what, he would not let it finish building.

His hand touched the sphere, and everything exploded.

-o-

"No, no, NO!" Ryo yelled. He had been running as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough. He'd never seen Cyberdramon this obsessed before, or this far gone that he could not be controlled by the cards. Time after time Ryo slashed his cards through his digivice, and ran on toward the direction his partner had flown. But at this rate, he knew it was too late. He could only pray that Takuya was not dead when he arrived.

When he could feel the rumbling in the earth from the battle, he knew he was getting close. But when he saw the Dark Sphere—Cyberdramon's new secret attack—building up, his body grew numb with panic.

How could this be happening? Why was his partner doing this? "Cy, no!" Ryo whispered. He pushed himself harder, turning the corner with despair clutching at his heart, and was suddenly forced to stop.

Takuya—bloody and badly injured—was running at Cyberdramon with his arm outstretched, as though he meant to touch the Dark Sphere.

"NO DON'T!" Ryo screamed, beginning to run again. But he couldn't do anything but watch. Takuya's hand made contact, and he cried out wordlessly as the sphere flashed and enveloped him. "No!" Ryo repeated. He collapsed to his knees, both hands covering his mouth. He couldn't believe this was happening!

_Cyberdramon, how could you? _He pleaded inwardly. _How could you murder him? Why? I don't understand what could have caused you to become this twisted! _

"Was it me?" he whispered, a tear streaking down his cheek. "Was I not strong enough to keep you from turning evil? Oh Cy….oh Takuya…I'm so sorry…"

The sphere swirled brighter, its sole purpose to utterly dissolve anything it touched. And right now, it was completely surrounding Takuya's body. But instead of exploding outward in its final stage of destruction, it erupted into flame.

The dark energy of the sphere vanished, completely eaten up by bright, glowing, orange flames.

Ryo's mouth fell open, and he stared in shock and disbelief as, out from the flames, a figure appeared. It looked human shaped, about the same size that Takuya had been, but his body was covered in red and gold armor. Two golden shields that were shaped like sharp pointy teardrops enveloped his arms, and a mask covered his face. Behind him, two giant orange wings erupted from his back.

His hands were trembling as Ryo pulled out his digivice and scanned it, and his awe only increased when it displayed the results. "Takuyamon," it said. "Level: Mega. Attribute: Fire. Type: Human/Wizard. Attacks: Unknown."

Dropping his hand, Ryo looked up and stared. He had no words or thoughts. All he could do was watch.

The two digimon stared at each other in silence, and Cyberdramon seemed to be waiting patiently. After a moment, he lifted one hand and pointed at Takuyamon. _"Is this your true form?" _he asked.

Across from him, Takuyamon seemed to be struggling. He stared at his arms, trembling with strength and adrenaline, before looking up and glaring at Cyberdramon. "Why?" he growled. "Why are you attacking me? Look at the destruction you've caused! Do you think this is alright?"

"_Where is your true form?" _Cyberdramon growled back. _"I sense greater strength in you. Where is it? Why wont you fight with me at your highest level?" _

"You're not listening!" Takuya yelled. A blast of heat and energy cascaded out of him, knocking Cyberdramon and Ryo backwards. As if horrified by his own strength, he held is head and tried to restrain himself. "We can't fight here!" he said. "It's not safe. I wont….I wont fight you! Not like this…not here….somewhere else…somewhere…" he lost track of his words, and a strange expression came over his face. Suddenly, he looked up, and his eyes were red. "I wont forgive you if you destroy any more of the city," he growled.

There was something dangerously unsafe in his tone…and Ryo recognized it instantly. Jumping to his feet, he began to run forward.

_Takuya, _he thought desperately. _He's just like Cyberdramon. If he gets too into the fight…he will lose himself! His power is too great, it's too unstable. I have to stop him before it's too late! _

Takuya lifted a hand, and the shield on his arm split in two, revealing a glowing weapon. "You must be stopped," Takuya said, grinning. "I'll destroy you…right here…and then I'll become stronger…"

Cyberdramon watched him, silent, and turned his head to watch his partner rushing at him. He made no move to fight, something that was completely out of character for him. Instead, he seemed smug, like he was silently saying "I told you so."

"Cyberdramon, get back!" Ryo commanded, holding out his digivice and preparing his cards. To his relief, his partner obeyed, leaping into the air and landing behind him in a single movement. He turned his focus to Takuyamon, concern on his face. "Takuya!" he called. "You need to calm down! The fight is over. If you attack any more, it will be you who is destroying the city!"

Takuya did not put away his weapon, but he stared at Ryo with a scowl, as though trying to make sense of his words. "What are you doing here?" he asked finally. Confusion colored his tone. "It's not safe here…you should go."

"Takuya, lower your weapon," Ryo urged him. "Don't make me force you, just hear my voice, and calm down. The fight is over. Cyberdramon has stopped attacking. See? The city is safe. It's time for us to rebuild what was broken." He paused, sweating nervously. This was a crucial moment…the moment where Takuya either overcame his bloodlust, or was swallowed by it. And in his experience, the most powerful digimon would usually succumb to it, especially if they were inexperienced. "Do you understand me?" he asked.

Shaking with the pent-in desire to fight, Takuya struggled to put away his weapon. The shield closed over his arm, and he dropped both hands reluctantly. After a moment, he lifted his head and stared at the sky. Unmoving, he stood there until his heart-rate calmed down, and the rising power within him began to wane.

When a bright light enveloped him, returning him to his original human form, Ryo breathed in relief and dropped his arms. Exhaustion gripped him, and he dropped to his knees once more. He could hardly believe it was over.

"_See?" _Cyberdramon said smugly. _"Takuyamon is strong. He needs someone like you to be his Tamer, or he will not be able to be controlled." _

As Ryo turned to glare at his partner, he felt like his rage might boil over. "Cy," he said darkly, his teeth gritted together and making a metallic sound. "Are you telling me that you only fought with him so that I would be forced to become his Tamer?"

Cyberdramon did not reply at first. But a few seconds later, he growled nervously and flew off into the sky as fast as he could go.

"Don't you run away from me!" Ryo screamed after him, standing and shaking his fists furiously at the air. "I am going to punish you so hard for this!"

"Ryo?"

Ryo paused, exhaling sharply, and turned to glare at Takuya. He really did not want to deal with this right now. "What?" he snapped.

Takuya was standing in the middle of the street, looking around him with such a look of regret, that it struck Ryo to the heart. The human digimon met his eyes, disheartened. "We did all this, didn't we?" he asked quietly. Although his injuries and torn clothing had all been repaired when he had changed form, he still looked worn-out and exhausted from the battle.

Ryo nodded, a scowl still etched on his face.

Sighing, Takuya bent and began to pick up debris from the ground, cleaning up the area as best he could. His face was sad, and he grimaced as he contemplated how much damage had been done. "If you hadn't said something, it would have been much worse, wouldn't it?" he asked.

Again, Ryo just nodded.

After a moment, Takuya stopped moving, kneeling down on the ground and punching the cement with his fist. His back tensed with anger and helpless frustration. "Why couldn't I stop myself?" he groaned. "I knew that we had to stop fighting. I tried! But then, when I felt that strength rushing through me, all I wanted to do was blow everything to pieces! Why does it have to feel so _good, _damn it! I want to be in control! I want to be in control…"

"I know," Ryo sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, giving up on chasing his partner down. For now, there was an alleyway that needed cleaning and repairing. "Ryo to HYPNOS," he called through his digivice. "There was a battle downtown. We need a cleanup at my location."

"I assume you have everything handled?" someone asked on the other end.

Staring around him, Ryo rolled his eyes tiredly. "Yes," he said, his voice sour. "Let's just make it as fast as possible." He switched off the communication, and came over to stand beside Takuya. "You should go home," he said quietly. "I'll take care of the rest."

Nodding, Takuya stood up. He turned and gave Ryo a wry smile—although it was really more of a grimace. "Thanks," he said. "If not for you…I might not have been able to stop."

Without responding, Ryo watched Takuya leave until he was out of sight, only then leaning against a building wall and holding his head in distress. _Cyberdramon is right, that bastard, _he thought reluctantly. _Takuya is going to need a really, really strong Tamer. _

"It's just not going to be me," he said firmly.

-o-

_And so another chapter ends. As you can see, this is where I transition into making it a little more serious/mature. That warning was put there for a reason, you know! _

_So what are your thoughts? Do you like the way it's progressing? Do you have any thoughts on who you think Takuya's Tamer will be? Haha, I'm not telling! But in the end, I hope you like how it turns out. _

_Oh, and to answer a question that someone brought up, the reason that Ryo seems like the main character out of all the Tamer characters is that he IS the main one that I am using for my story. There are too many characters in digimon to do all of them justice, so I am just picking the ones who will help develop my story. Ryo and Cyberdramon are perfect for developing the Tamer/digimon bond, so they are the ones I am playing around with at the moment. Don't worry, there will be more of the others, too._

_Just remember that, no matter how many other characters are featured, this story is about Takuya. He's the _main_ character. Hope that answers your questions! _

_Let me know what you think, I am definitely looking forward to your feedback. See you next time, and thanks for reading!_

_~Rukatofan_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story contains slightly more mature content, including fighting/violence, sexual themes, and swearing, which is why I rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

Thank you The Keeper of Worlds, Swanhilde, ho hot, Musically Correct, AncientGreymon, and Tenzaromon for your continued, amazing reviews and support! Really, I can't tell you enough how much it encourages me and helps me to feel braver about writing and continuing my story! I'm so excited to share my story with you! This chapter is dedicated to you because you took the time to tell me what you thought. Thank you!

-o-

**Chapter Seven**

-o-

Several things had happened yesterday, and they still dominated Takuya's thoughts, even as he walked to school. It was hard to sort out everything, especially since looking back on it made him wonder if two or three days had not passed, instead of just one.

_I guess I can break it down like this, _he thought, concentrating. _I met up with Zoe again, my family knows I'm a digimon, Shinya came home as a certified Tamer, and I got into a fight with that freaky Cyberdramon that caused me to transform. _

"The important thing to remember," he said, finishing his thoughts out loud, "is that I have _got _to find a Tamer."

"Hey!" Shinya complained, walking beside him. "What do you think I am? A piece of cardboard? I _became_ a Tamer so that I could be your partner. I don't get why you wont let me!"

Takuya glanced at him, momentarily surprised. He'd forgotten that they had been walking next to each other. True, Shinya had raced home and proclaimed his success, and tried to get Takuya to agree to be his partner. But after that fight with Cyberdramon, it was clearer than day that Shinya was not strong enough. It wasn't just that he didn't want to partner up with his brother, on the contrary, he kind of liked the idea. It seemed natural and easy—they were family anyway. But he could sense his own strength, and he could sense Shinya's strength. It would be too hard on Shinya, and he knew it. Sighing, Takuya grimaced apologetically. "You remember what I told you last night," he said. "It's a matter of how strong of a Tamer you are, and after my fight, it's become really clear that you wouldn't be able to be my Tamer. I really appreciate it, though."

"You just say that cause I'm your brother," Shinya grumbled, crossing his arms. But he picked up his digivice and stared at it, pleased with his luck at being certified nonetheless. "But whatever, I get it. Just don't come crawling back to me when you can't find anyone by next year."

"Buddy," Takuya groaned. "Honestly, I would be your partner in a heartbeat!"

"No you wouldn't, you just said that you don't want me," Shinya rolled his eyes.

"Don't you remember everything I said last night? I told you and Mom and Dad the whole damn story of what happened in the digital world, and even about my fight with Cyberdramon! I'm not hiding anything anymore, and I'm just worried about you."

"Well worry about yourself, cause you may think that I'm not strong enough, but I _know _that I am!" Shinya dropped his hands and glared at his older brother with fiery determination. "I became a Tamer for _you_, Takuya."

"You became a Tamer because you ARE a Tamer," Takuya said proudly. He stopped walking, since they had come to the part of their trek where they separated and went to different schools—Shinya to the middle school, and Takuya to the high school. He reached out and placed his hands on his little brother's shoulders, smiling at him. "I'm really honored that you went and did that because you were worried about me. I have the best brother in the world."

Shinya glanced sideways, mumbling to himself. "I'm glad you're suddenly back to your old, happy self," he said, "but I forgot how annoying it is. You're radiating energy like a power plant, you big idiot. Just…go to class, I'll see you later."

"Got it," Takuya grinned.

"See? Stop doing that?" Shinya rolled his eyes. But the grin was contagious, and he responded in kind. "Look at my digivice, it's beeping at me repeatedly! Stop causing it to freak out, already."

"I'm not doing anything," Takuya said innocently. But he dropped his hands and stepped back, heading off in the direction of the high school. "I just…feel like myself again."

His brother frowned, looking concerned by that comment, but shrugged and walked off without another word. At the last second, he called back over his shoulder, "If you can't find a Tamer by the end of the month, then it's going to be me, you hear?"

Takuya grinned and waved. "Alright, have it your way!" he called back. "But don't say I didn't warn you when it gets too much for you to handle!" Turning and chuckling to himself, he continued walking toward school. Even though it seemed like he should be worried about finding a partner who would work for him, he felt too excited to care. Telling his family everything had been so freeing, such a relief, he realized that he _needed _them to know about him, to back him up. That was what family meant, what they were there for. He could always count on them to support him and accept him, and knowing that made everything seem easier.

_WHAM! _

Takuya was knocked backwards and landed on his back, stunned. For a split second, he wondered what could have possibly happened, but then he sensed another digimon's fighting spirit, and he knew that he'd just been attacked. Rolling backwards and pulling up into a standing position, he readied his fists in a fighting pose.

The next second, he was battling a blurred figure that was too fast to see. Its blows were fast, sharp, and powerful, and they always managed to land. It took almost a minute before he could land one of his own punches, and only succeeded out of instinct. After all, he couldn't see what he was hitting.

As his opponent was knocked back by his blow, Takuya sucked in a breath of air and dashed forward, grinning ear to ear. He'd forgotten—all this time, until his fight with Cyberdramon last night—how _good _it felt to fight. It was like nothing he'd ever experienced before. Just the fact that his opponent was extremely strong and hard to hit made him even more excited.

Again, they were hitting each other, punching and kicking and throwing energy blasts. Takuya became faster and faster, as though each time he connected with his attacker, he absorbed some of its speed. At the same time, his attacker's blows became harder and harder, as though he was absorbing some of Takuya's power.

"KOUJI, TAKUYA! STOP IT RIGHT THIS SECOND!" Kouichi's voice screamed out.

They heard him, acknowledging in their brains that yes, they should probably stop fighting each other, but they ignored him. Even knowing that the opponent that was moving too fast to see was Kouji did not make Takuya want to stop. It just made their fight more exhilarating. He and Kouji were fighting!

It was like they were finally connecting again.

"Kouji stop, please!" Kouichi yelled, and his voice was strained. "I can't…I can't handle it…"

Suddenly Kouji and Takuya halted, each turning to look at Kouichi in alarm. The older twin was leaning against the wall that surrounded the high school, holding his head tiredly. His face was pale, and he didn't seem like he could remain standing much longer.

"Kouichi!" Kouji blurted, dashing to him in a blur of color. He was moving so quickly, it was hard to see that he was moving until suddenly, he was somewhere else. Perhaps that was what having the powers of Light meant, Takuya thought. "Kouichi are you alright?" Kouji asked, feeling his brother's forehead for a fever.

Irritated, Kouichi glared at him and Takuya. "No, I'm not!" he snapped. "Stop fighting each other, it's not appropriate on school property. You need to have some self-restraint, because when I try to control you it drains me too quickly! You _know _that my body isn't very strong."

"I know…" Kouji gritted his teeth. He stared down at his shoes. "I just…I couldn't help it. He's just…" his voice trailed off awkwardly. "Never mind. I'll stop."

Coming toward them, Takuya smiled apologetically. "Kouichi, I'm sorry," he said honestly. "I didn't realize that we shouldn't be fighting each other here." After a minute, he cocked his head curiously. "Huh. Is trying to control your partner really that hard? I didn't realize that being a Tamer was that difficult."

Kouichi shook his head, then seemed to wish he hadn't. "No, it's not normally like that for Tamers. It's just Kouji—he's really strong, and I'm kind of weak."

"You keep saying that," Takuya scowled, "but I don't think anyone who gives up their life for others is weak."

"I wish I could explain it better," Kouichi shrugged. "In times of dire need, I'm sure that I would find the inner strength. But on a normal day like this, my body just can't handle the strain of trying to control someone as powerful as Kouji."

"Kouichi became my Tamer because it makes sense—he's my brother," Kouji added quietly, "and I wouldn't want anyone else, even if they were the strongest Tamer alive. But his body isn't very strong. Ever since four years ago…."

"When he fell down those stairs?" Takuya frowned, growing serious. "I guess even though you were saved, it still took a toll on you, huh? I didn't realize."

Looking a little embarrassed, Kouichi nodded. "It doesn't help when _you're_ the one he's fighting, either. All you have to do is touch each other, and suddenly his power is almost triple what it is right now."

"Burst Mode?" Takuya sighed. "Why does it happen so easily? Isn't that rare, supposedly?"

"Supposedly," Kouji smirked. "But in our case, I think it's because of our unique situation. We were Tamers before we were digimon, and we've biomerged together to become Susanoomon. We've got a strong connection that just makes it easy for us to give each other strength. Also, we both love fighting each other."

"I think that you could get that reaction by being in contact with any of our team," Kouichi nodded. "Kouji, Zoe, JP, Tommy…all of them could probably experience Burst Mode with you. But I suspect you and Kouji's bond is stronger."

"Funny how that worked out," Takuya chuckled. "Remember when you were the weird lone-wolf kid who didn't want to hang out with us?"

"Give me a break," Kouji rolled his eyes. "You guys were so annoying, how can you blame me?" He glanced at Kouichi, growing concerned again. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Kouichi nodded. "I'll be fine. Just, try not to randomly attack Takuya every time you see him, please?"

Takuya paused, then glanced at Kouji curiously. "Actually, now that I think of it, why _did _you suddenly attack me? Why are you always suddenly attacking me every time you see me? Just because we're digimon doesn't mean we can't be friends anymore, does it?"

"You're either an idiot, or you just completely don't listen to what people are saying," Kouji sighed. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and then began to walk toward school again. Kouichi walked beside him, and Takuya came along on Kouichi's other side. "You know the answer to that as well as I do."

"We just love to fight each other?" Takuya grinned.

His friend nodded, and held out his fist. "We just love fighting each other," he replied, smirking. Takuya knocked fists with him, laughing.

"Have a little mercy on me, okay?" Kouichi groaned. But he had gotten over his initial exhaustion, and was smiling again. "In the meantime, let's hang out like normal people and avoid fighting each other. At least until after school is out for the day."

"So you're saying we _could _fight, later?" Kouji smirked.

"Only if we go somewhere I can lie down to watch you," Kouichi shrugged, his face reluctant. After a second, he blinked and turned to Takuya in surprise. "Actually, you do seem different today," he said. "I don't know what it is, but you're definitely stronger than yesterday. It's like your true strength suddenly awakened, or something. Did anything happen after school yesterday?"

"Oh boy did things happen!" Takuya rolled his eyes. "I've got a LOT of things to catch you up on!" As they walked through the gate toward the school building, he immediately began to tell them everything he'd learned from HYPNOS, his fight with Cyberdramon, and how he'd told his family everything.

As they separated to go to their respective classes, they promised to meet up again after school and discuss things more.

-o-

Tommy ran and ran. Several times he stumbled and fell, then clawed his way up to his feet again so that he could push himself to run even faster than before. Tears blurred his vision so that he could barely see, but it didn't even matter. Somehow, he had to get as far away from _there _as possible.

Were there footsteps behind him? Was that the sound of someone breathing down his neck? Terror spurned him onward, and with what could have been his hundredth burst of adrenaline, he forced himself forward even faster than before.

_I can make it, _he thought to himself. _I must make it! _

He was in the city now, running down one of the residential streets. Dodging people on the sidewalk, he wiped at his eyes, trying to see where he was going. Where was he now? Was there anywhere safe here that he could hide? Or would _they _find him again? His strength was quickly fading, and sooner or later, he would have to stop and recover.

_I have to go somewhere populated, _he thought, gritting his teeth together. _Somewhere with other people, other Tamers, and other digimon. That way, they can't find me. _Looking ahead, he sensed what appeared to be a school drawing closer. His heart leapt inside him when he sensed Tamers somewhere inside. _There! _He thought, dashing toward it. Without wasting a second, he was through the gate and racing toward the strongest energy level he could feel.

Only the strongest could save him.

The school seemed to have just ended for the day, and students were piling out of the doors with smiles on their faces. Dodging around most of them, Tommy navigated blindly toward the energy that he'd pin-pointed, his fear growing stronger with every second. Finally, he could see a figure in front of him, their inner digisoul practically glowing to his eyes.

Exhaustion suddenly stealing his strength away, he collapsed on his hands and knees in front of the Tamer, panting and shuddering uncontrollably. "Please," he rasped out, his voice aching from all the running. "Please, save me!" He lifted his head, and looked into the eyes of a boy that was probably the same age that he was. "Please become my Tamer!" he begged.

Blackness suddenly enveloped him, and he fell into unconsciousness.

-o-

Shinya stared downward with his mouth hanging open, both horrified and embarrassed. A boy who couldn't be older than twelve years old had just collapsed in front of him, begging him to become his Tamer!

"What the hell?" Kou, one of his good friends, quickly came forward and knelt beside the unconscious stranger, staring between him and Shinya in awe. "Who is this?"

Shinya shook his head, feeling alarmed. He knelt down next to his friend, not really sure what he was supposed to do, and turned the stranger onto his side so he could get a good look at him. The boy was thin, almost malnourished, with dark brown hair. He seemed short for his age, shorter than Kou or Shinya, and was wearing a simple white t-shirt and denim jeans. But there was a strange energy coming from him, an energy that felt strangely similar to how Takuya felt.

Taking out his digivice, Shinya pressed the "scan" button and held it in front of him. "Tomokimon," it read, "Level: Mega. Attribute: Ice. Type: Human. Attacks: Unknown."

"His name is Tomoki," Shinya said gravely, and then he gasped. "Oh!" he said, turning to look at his friend. "It's one of my brother's friends! The ones who got changed into digimon! You remember what I was telling you at lunch? This is one of those guys!"

"What?" Kou blurted, his eyes widening in disbelief. "I thought you were just pulling my leg," he said, turning and frowning at the human-digimon in front of them. "He looks…I don't know…he looks like he's in bad shape. We should take him to the nurse's office."

"School is out, almost everyone has left," Shinya said. "Beside, I don't think the nurse would be able to help a digimon."

"He's really a digimon? You're telling the truth?"

"Yes," Shinya nodded gravely. He bent over and lifted Tomoki onto his back, standing and trying to decide what to do. Should he take him home? Takuya would want to see him. But what was that about begging him to save him and become his Tamer? "I think I should take him to HYPNOS," he said.

Kou nodded, and the two of them walked out together. "I'm coming with you," he proclaimed. "This seems really serious. Plus…if _you _became a Tamer, maybe I could too!"

"Maybe," Shinya said doubtfully. Since being certified, he'd been able to sense things at a greater level than he used to. Now that he could recognize the feel of Tamers and digimon, he began to see the difference between those who had potential and those who didn't. Kou was strong, but not strong enough to be a Tamer.

"I wonder what happened to him," Kou said, turning to stare at Tomoki as they exited the school property and began to walk into town. HYPNOS was a good thirty minute walk from their school, but it made sense to take an exhausted and weak digimon there. "He looks like he's starving, or sick…or I dunno. Who do you think he is?"

"He's my age, and his name is Tomoki, but my brother calls him Tommy. He is an ice digimon, who helped save the world from being destroyed four years ago. Takuya says he is really nice, fun, cheerful."

"Wow…you know a lot about him, and you don't even know him," Kou pointed out. "That's a little weird."

Nodding, Shinya glanced over his shoulder at the unconscious twelve-year-old that he was carrying. "I feel like I know him," he said thoughtfully. "Like he's….a friend. Or like a brother. Probably because that's how Takuya described him."

"I still can't believe that story is true….people who can turn into digimon! Who would have guessed? The world gets crazier and crazier every day."

"I guess." Shinya frowned. They had turned the corner onto a long stretch of road that went through the warehouse district, and ahead of them two blocks down, two figures stood waiting. He couldn't see them clearly from where he stood, but he could sense that there was a digimon ahead. "Kou," he said slowly. "I think you should go."

"What? No, I'm not going anywhere! I want to go to HYPNOS with you," Kou scowled. "You can't have all the fun."

"Kou," Shinya grimaced. But then it was two late. The two figures walked quickly toward him, and he stood hesitantly in the street trying to decide what to do. Should he try to run away? It would be impossible while carrying Tommy like this. But was it safe to stay?

Then it was too late. The figures came up to them, pausing a few feet away, and it was clear that they had been waiting for them. The first one was a man, and he stood in front of Shinya rigidly. There was something about him that nagged at Shinya's mind, and he studied him warily with narrowed eyes. The man's hair was brown, and he wore narrow glasses that made his eyes look cold. He had to be in his twenties, maybe twenty-five, and he wore a white jacket. Only then did he see that this stranger had a striking resemblance to the unconscious boy on Shinya's back.

Beside the man stood a towering and dangerous-looking digimon with giant purple wings that had jagged claws at the top. It had a terrifying face, and grinned evilly at them.

Shinya pulled out his digivice, then grimaced as he read the description: "Daemon. Level: Mega. Type: Demon Lord. Attribute: Virus. Attacks: Evil Inferno, Evil Flapping, Hammer Knuckle, Double Dust, and Slash Nail."

This did not look like it would bode well for him.

"You there," the man said, scowling at Shinya condescendingly. "Hand over that boy."

Shinya gritted his teeth, taking a step back. "Who are you?" he demanded. "I'm not going to hand him over to some kidnapper, who do you think I am? I'll call the police!"

The man's eyes narrowed, and he glared darkly. "If you were to call the police, they would side with me. That boy is my brother, and I'm here to take him home."

"With that kind of escort?" Shinya snorted, indicating Daemon with his head. "I don't believe you."

"I will prove it," the man snapped. "The boy's name is Tomoki Himi, he is twelve years old, and he ran away from home. My name is Yutaka Himi, his older brother, and I have identification." Taking out his wallet, he lifted up a card and showed it to them. Sure enough, it said "Himi Yutaka" and had his picture on it. Stuffing the card back in his wallet and slipping it in his pocket, Yutaka sighed in annoyance. "I am here to return my brother home so that he can get some rest. He's been sick with a fever, and he's delirious."

"What about this guy?" Shinya snapped. "Why do you need him?"

"This is my partner, Daemon," Yutaka said calmly. "He goes everywhere with me, mostly because he needs constant supervision. He is a virus digimon, after all."

Daemon glanced at him and growled, but said nothing.

Shinya hesitated. After hearing the explanation, there really wasn't any reason for him to resist any longer. Tommy did look sick, and he did sound kind of delirious. And this was his brother—who just happened to be another Tamer. Why shouldn't he trust him?

_I can't explain it…but I still don't trust this guy, _he thought, anxious. What should he do?

Kou turned to him, confused. "Shinya," he whispered. "What now?"

Suddenly, Tommy groaned, rousing to consciousness and lifting his head. He looked around, blinking in some sort of daze, before his eyes fell on his brother standing in front of them. Then he gasped. "No!" he screamed, jumping off of Shinya's back and trying to run away.

Daemon growled, leaping into the air, and landed in the road to block his escape. Trapped on either side by Daemon and his brother, Tommy shuddered and backed up until he was standing behind Shinya and Kou.

"Hey," Shinya said, turning to study Tommy carefully. "Is this guy really your brother? He says he wants to take you home, that you're sick and delirious. Is that true?"

Tommy shuddered. "He is my brother," he said quietly, and he stared into Shinya's eyes desperately. "But he is not taking me home. He wants to take me back to the lab!"

"He's delirious," Yutaka cut in. "He doesn't know what he's saying. Just look at him!"

"Don't let him take me back," Tommy pleaded. "Please, I'll do anything! Please take me as your partner, I wont cause you any trouble, I just can't go back. I can't!"

"Tomoki!" Yutaka yelled. "Come with me _right now!_"

Tommy shook his head. "No!" he yelled back. "I wont! You'll just experiment on me again! You keep telling me that it will be the last time, that I'm helping people with your research, but it's all a lie! You're just using me for your own selfish experiments…"

"Take him by force!" Yutaka cut in, shouting to Daemon and pointing at Tommy with a furious expression.

Shinya had heard enough to know that no matter what Yutaka said, he was going to side with Tommy. As he watched, Daemon flew at Tommy and began to attack him, while he stood there trying to decide what he should do. He felt completely helpless! How did a Tamer fight a digimon anyway? Didn't they have cards or something? Gripping his digivice in his hands, he berated himself inwardly. He didn't own any cards, how was he supposed to help? "Stay back!" he ordered Daemon, jumping in front of Tommy protectively. It was the only thing he could think of doing. "I won't let you take him!"

Daemon laughed, lifting his hand in the air. "Evil Inferno!" he called, throwing his hands forward. A huge wall of fire burst forth, rushing at Shinya, Kou, and Tommy so fast, it was on them before they could blink. All Shinya could do was cover his face with his arms. _I'm going to die! _He thought, horrified that Yutaka would stand by and let his partner attack and kill humans.

When the flames vanished without reaching him, he dropped his arms and peeked through, staring in surprise as Tommy stood in front of him and Kou. Tommy's arms were outstretched, and a great barrier of ice stood between them and Daemon. "How dare you!" Tommy growled, panting with exhaustion. He was trembling, obviously too weak to be fighting, but that did not stop him from defending the two humans who had been kind to him. "They're human, Yutaka! How dare you!"

Tommy turned and rushed at Yutaka, screaming and lifting his hands. A spear made of ice formed in his hands, and he threw it with all his strength at the man who was his brother.

It all happened too fast. Yutaka pulled out an electric gun and fired it at Tommy, dropping him unconscious to the ground, and Daemon burst through the ice barrier to grab the spear and crush it before it could reach its target. The battle was over just like that.

"Take him back to the lab," Yutaka order, turning away and shoving the gun back in his lab coat. Daemon immediately obeyed, picking Tommy up in his arms.

Somehow, Shinya managed to get over his shock. "No!" he screamed, jumping up and dashing at Daemon with a burst of adrenaline. He kicked the massive digimon's elbow, forcing him to drop Tommy, and then grabbed his unconscious body and picked him up. "I wont let you take him!" he declared. Carefully, he dashed backwards a few feet away, kneeling down and setting Tommy carefully on the ground in front of him. He kept the boy's head cradled in one arm.

"And what can you possibly do to stop me?" Yutaka sneered.

Trembling with rage and helplessness, Shinya did not think. He knew that if he thought, he would come up with no plan, and no answer. But that was unacceptable. He would just have to do whatever the hell came to mind. "Tommy," he said, looking down at the unconscious boy in his arms. "I'll be your Tamer. Okay? I'm your Tamer now, so get up! Let's beat these guys."

Nothing happened, and Yutaka began to laugh, his tone scornful. "You think you can just decide to be his Tamer like that?" he asked mockingly. "You don't even know _how _to become a Tamer. What makes you think…"

"TOMMY!" Shinya yelled, gripping him tighter. "Get up and fight! You've beat enemies stronger than this before in the digital world, remember? I'm your Tamer now, so GET UP!"

A bright light suddenly erupted from his digivice, blinding everyone. Yutaka, Daemon, and Kou were forced to pull back, covering their eyes with cries of pain, but Shinya found that he could still see. He watched with a sensation of awe as the light from his digivice grew stronger, enveloping Tommy. When it finally vanished, Tommy's eyes snapped open, and he gasped involuntarily.

Shinya grinned down at him. "Get up and beat these bastards," he ordered.

Tommy met his eyes, and instantly, they could feel a connection between them. Jumping to his feet, he turned and glared at Daemon, and a swirling vortex of light surrounded him. When it vanished, he had changed form. Now, instead of a simple human boy, a warrior wearing white and green armor stood before them, half of his face covered with a mask so that only his mouth was visible. In his hands were two giant axes, and just looking at them made them feel chilled to the bone.

Shinya turned and glared at Yutaka furiously. "Defeat Daemon," he told the silent, waiting Tomokimon, "but don't attack your brother."

Tomokimon nodded, then lifted his axes. He dashed at Daemon with blinding speed, a screaming wind full of ice following after him.

-o-

Takuya froze, staring up at the sky with a look of alarm. Somewhere not too far away, there was a battle taking place between megas—he could feel it in his bones. Scowling, he turned and began to walk that way. Even though he'd promised to meet up with Kouji and Kouichi after school, this seemed more important. They would understand. And who knew? Maybe it was Kouji anyway.

"Takuyamon," someone called, startling him. "Wait up!"

Takuya turned, growing confused, to see who was talking to him. What he saw was a girl—maybe one year older than him—with black hair and dark brown eyes. He recognized her as one of his sempais, a girl who went to the same school as him. Only after she came closer was he able to sense that she was a Tamer—and a fairly strong one, at that. "Who are you?" he asked, frowning. And why was she calling him Takuyamon? Couldn't she just call him Takuya?

She stopped a few feet away from him, smiling. "I'm Katsushiro Kimi," she said. "But you can just call me Kimi."

"Um…nice to meet you," Takuya bowed his head awkwardly. "Look, I have to go…see you later."

"Takuyamon wait," she said cheerfully. Then suddenly, she pulled out a digivice and pointed it at his face. "I would like to become your Tamer."

"Eh-WHA?" Takuya blurted, jumping back in surprise. He stared first at her then at the digivice suspiciously, wondering if he should be concerned. "I don't even know you!" he declared. "I'm not going to become your partner!"

"Don't be ridiculous," she giggled. "You need a Tamer, and I need a partner. I'm strong, too, so we'd be perfect!"

"Look, I'm sorry but…" Takuya jumped back a little bit further.

"Don't you want a Tamer?" Kimi asked, pouting. "Isn't it lonely? Doesn't your data hurt? You need me! Why resist?"

"I don't know you," Takuya repeated again. He gritted his teeth nervously. Could someone forcibly take him as their partner? He wasn't sure if it was possible, but just in case, he decided to get out of there as fast as he could. "I'll pick my own Tamer!" he said firmly. Before she could answer, he turned and ran away as fast as he could.

He could hear her calling after him and pursuing him for a bit, but he was much faster than she was. Only when he was safely out of reach did he slow down and take a breather, and try to shake off the feeling of anxiety that had come over him.

"Who _was_ that?" he shuddered. "Why would she just come up to me like that? I'm not begging for a Tamer or anything, I want to decide for myself who I want."

"Hey! Who the hell are you?" someone snapped at him.

Takuya froze, then whirled around to find himself face to face with yet another Tamer. He almost took off running, but he noticed just in time that the girl standing in front of him had a partner already—an elegant and dangerous-looking Renamon. "You startled me," he admonished.

"Who startled who?" the girl demanded, crossing her arms with a scowl. She had red hair pulled up into a high-ponytail, and her clothes were trendy but not too feminine. But probably the most prominent feature about her was her incredibly strong digisoul—it practically radiated out of her like a heatless, invisible furnace. "You're another one of those human digimon, aren't you? What are you doing, just popping up into my neighborhood?"

"I'm running away from some strange Tamer girl who tried to make me her partner," Takuya grimaced. "You're not going to try to do that too, are you?"

"No way," the girl sniffed.

Renamon stared between the two of them, contemplating, and then turned to study Takuya. After a moment, she nodded. "This is the strong one," she said to her Tamer, "the one Cyberdramon fought with yesterday."

"Him?" the girl blurted. Turning back to Takuya, she studied him with an expression of disbelief. "I guess he does feel strong…but that can't be right…"

"Whoa hold up," Takuya blurted. "You guys know about that?" He groaned, holding his face with one hand. "Geez, what a bother. Look, I'm sorry about the damage, we didn't fight for very long…"

"Never mind that," the girl raised her hands, interrupting him, "It's not a big deal, I was just surprised, is all. My name is Rika, and this is Renamon. We're on the First Defense team, and our job is to patrol the city and look for trouble. Who are you?"

"I'm Takuya," Takuya sighed. "I'm one of the humans who were called to the digital world, and then came home as digimon."

"I heard about that," Rika nodded. "I was the one who found Zoe and brought her into HYPNOS, and since then, a memo has gone out to all the Tamers to be on the lookout for you guys. If we find you, we're supposed to direct you to contact Yamaki if you haven't already."

"The memo also mentioned that most of you are without Tamers, and need a friend who is willing to be a support to you," Renamon added quietly.

"It said that?" Takuya frowned, feeling rather annoyed. If he wanted a memo sent out to broadcast he needed a Tamer, he would have said so! "So that's why that girl came up to me." He sighed, and then glanced at Rika curiously. "Hey, just wondering, is it possible for a Tamer to take a digimon as their partner against the digimon's will?"

Rika shrugged. "Sure. If the Tamer is strong-willed enough, there's no way they could resist. But in the end, if the partnership doesn't work out well, it's not going to last."

"Crap," Takuya groaned. "I guess I need to tread carefully."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about," Rika chuckled. "If you fought Cyberdramon and came out unscathed, you'll be fine. Strong digimon can't really be forced to become partners with weak Tamers. If a partnership like that happens, it's because the digimon feels protective for their Tamer."

Renamon nodded gravely. "Although there are some cases where a weak Tamer has become stronger, because their partner was strong to begin with. Jeri and Leomon are a good example of that."

"Or Kenta and MarineAngemon," Rika shrugged. Suddenly, she glanced down at her digivice and scowled. "Oh great, another rogue digimon appeared. Come on, Renamon, let's get there before Takato and Guilmon!."

Nodding, Renamon and Rika took off running down the street at a break-neck pace. Takuya watched them leave, feeling a bit envious, and sighed dramatically. Why couldn't he have a perfect Tamer? Kouji and Kouichi were perfect, and Rika and Renamon were perfect. Why couldn't he have someone like that?

"Wait a minute," he blurted, an idea dawning on him. "What they said makes sense…it means Shinya _could _be my Tamer! He _is _a perfect fit for me!" Without wasting another second, he took off down the street, running for home as fast as he could.

Suddenly, the two megas fighting downtown was far less appealing to him.

-o-

_Ahhh! Finished at last! Writing fight scenes is so HARD! Kudos to all the writers out there who can pull it off, I turn to all of you for guidance. Hopefully you all could understand what's going on without feeling confused or bored._

_And of course, this is the part where I hope all my readers are going "Ahhh! What the hell?" and so on and so forth. My goal is to make you frustrated, make you question where the heck I'm going with this, and wonder who is going to partner with who. If I'm doing that, then I am succeeding. _

_Before I forget, ho hot mentioned that Takato was thought to be the strongest Tamer. I would have to say yes, sure, I think he did become the strongest Tamer through the show. Definitely not saying that he isn't. However, I think that Ryo has a different kind of strength, a strength that comes from understanding digimon like no other person. I think that by far, Takato and Guilmon together are the strongest Tamer/Digimon partnership in season 3, but if there was a Tamer who, by himself, was the strongest, I would say that it would be Ryo. My goal is to stay as canon as possible, but since Takato is not a main character in my story, I'm not featuring him as much. I hope that that answers your question. Let me know if you have any more, and I'll be happy to answer as best I can.  
_

_So, thanks everyone for reading my story! Please let me know what you think, I'm totally curious and dying to know!_

_~Rukatofan_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story contains slightly more mature content, including fighting/violence, sexual themes, and swearing, which is why I rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

Thank you Tenzaromon, ho hot, AncientGreymon, Swanhilde, Fernclaw, and The Keeper of Worlds for your reviews and continued support! Without you guys, I might feel like my story isn't worth sharing, so I am so grateful for you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope you REALLY enjoy the story, and how it progresses. This chapter is dedicated to you because you took the time to tell me what you thought. Thank you!

-o-

**Chapter Eight**

-o-

Ryo sighed, feeling irritated and worn out. He watched as Cyberdramon rushed at the rogue Arukenimon that had broken into the real world, biting and tearing at him ruthlessly. It died within seconds, unable to withstand his partner's raw strength. "How many does this make?" he groaned. "I've lost count."

"_Weak," _Cyberdramon growled, and he too had become extremely irritated. _"All of them are weak!" _

"We've been at this all day," Ryo added, walking forward. He scanned the digiegg that had appeared in place of the defeated digimon, instantly teleporting it back to the digital world. "What do they want? Why are they all coming here?"

Cyberdramon turned his head, staring at Ryo silently. After a moment, he snorted in disgust. _"It worries me as well," _he said. _"They must be searching for something."_

"Searching for what?" Ryo frowned. Days like these, he wished he could just go to the digital world and ignore everything else. Life was so much simpler there. "And anyway, don't think you're off the hook just because we have to get rid of all these digimon intruders," he snapped at his partner irritably. "I haven't forgotten that stunt you pulled yesterday. What the hell was wrong with you? You can't just do things like that!"

"_You wont listen to my words," _Cyberdramon complained. He stretched his claws restlessly, hungering for a stronger opponent. _"You only listen to my actions." _

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryo rolled his eyes. "I do listen to you, you're the one who doesn't like to say what you're thinking. So don't you try to weasel your way out of this."

"_You don't listen to me," _Cyberdramon growled, indignant. _"I want to fight him. Why won't you let me?" _

"He has no Tamer," Ryo sat down on the sidewalk, running a hand through his hair. He was too exhausted to be arguing about this, and he didn't _want _to argue with Cyberdramon. Normally they had no trouble listening to each other, why was it so hard right now?

"_That's why I wanted you to become his Tamer. Then we could really fight each other!"_

"No, Cy! I don't _want _to be his Tamer," Ryo groaned. "Besides," he added, "if the two of you fought, you would destroy the city. Takuya is like you…if he gets absorbed into the fight, he might not snap out of it until the fight is over. That's going to be a lot harder on him than it is on you. You don't really care, because you like how it feels to be absorbed in the fight. But he _does _care, and I doubt he wants to lose control like that!"

"_Let me fight him just once," _Cyberdramon insisted.

"I'm sorry," Ryo shook his head. "This is one of those times where I will not be persuaded by you. You may _not _fight him, Cy. That's an order."

Cyberdramon growled, his tone full of anger and frustration, but he did not try to resist. In the end, he simply flew away to sulk somewhere, denied his one desire to fight a truly strong opponent.

It left Ryo feeling sad and alone. Why couldn't Cyberdramon understand? This wasn't like any of the other times when he was overcome with the desire to fight someone. It was out of the question to let him fight Takuya and possible kill him! Couldn't he see that?

_No, of course not, _Ryo thought, sighing. _Cy is always plagued by the desire to fight a strong opponent. It causes him physical pain when he finds someone, and then is not allowed to fight them. I know that…and I feel bad for him…but…_

His thoughts trailed off, and he wished that he could say something to Cyberdramon to overcome the disagreement they were having. Ever since he was little, he had always had a deeper understanding of digimon than anyone else. He could instantly tell what type of character they had, what their strengths and weaknesses were, and even what would cause them to cross over from sanity to madness. Even a digimon's base instincts and habits, he knew and understood. It's what made it so easy for him to live in the digital world, and what had made him such a great Tamer. Before Cyberdramon, he'd had dozens of partners that he'd trained.

But Cyberdramon was the only digimon that he'd ever felt the most connected to. Cyberdramon was there for him. He understood Ryo, and they could communicate without words most of the time. Destined to be together, Cy was always saying. Ryo nodded, gripped by his loneliness and frustration. "Yes," he whispered. "We were always destined to be partners. After we finally met, I've never wanted anyone else."

He knew that even if everything else in the world changed, that was the one thing that never would. Cyberdramon was his partner, and he wanted no one else.

"Cy," he called, standing up and beginning to run. "Cy I'm sorry, please come back!" He hurried to meet up with his best friend in the world—a friend he couldn't stand to live without, even if they were fighting with each other.

-o-

Daemon's body hung in the air for a short moment, an expression of disbelief on his face, but then he dissolved into data, leaving only a digiegg behind.

Tommy landed on the ground silently, his two axes freezing the parts of the street that they touched. Slowly, he turned to face his brother.

"Don't think this will stop me!" Yutaka yelled. He pointed his hand at Tommy's face in anger, but it was trembling. "I _will _take you home, Tomoki!"

Shinya stood from the spot he'd been kneeling at, and walked toward the egg that had fallen near him. Bending over, he picked it up and felt it, amazed. He'd never seen a digiegg before, but he'd heard all about them. It was so incredible! Remembering himself, he snapped his head up and glared in Yutaka's direction. "Get out of here," he ordered furiously. "Or I'm calling the police. I'm pretty sure they'll side with me, now that we know the truth!"

Cursing, Yutaka took a step backwards. He glanced from Tommy's silent form to Shinya's enraged face, and knew that he'd been beat. "I'll be back," he promised, turning to run away. At the end of the street he dove into a car and sped away without looking back.

By this time, the adrenaline that had been rushing through his body began to wane, and Shinya felt more like collapsing than anything else. Carefully, he came toward Tommy with the egg in his arms. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked, worried.

Tommy turned to stare at him, still silent.

"Please say something," Shinya begged. "Are you going to be alright?"

The human digimon hesitated, staring down at the weapons in his hands—weapons that instantly froze anything they touched. "You…you're not afraid of me?" he whispered.

Shinya sighed, reaching out a hand and placing it on Tommy's shoulder. Concern struck him as the warrior of ice cringed in fear. "Of course not," he said honestly. "I'm worried about you. Come on, I think we should go to HYPNOS, they'll be able to help you."

"I don't know," Tommy shivered. "What if they want to experiment on me too? I don't want to be a lab rat anymore…I just want… I just want to live a normal life…" As he spoke, a sphere of light engulfed him once more, reverting him to his human shape. Again, a young twelve-year-old boy that was a good three or four inches shorter than Shinya stood before him.

"Don't worry," Shinya smiled encouragingly. "HYPNOS are the good guys, trust me. Besides, I have some good news for you." Tommy glanced at him nervously, a glint of hope in his eyes. "My brother trusts them, and he is just like you. In fact, you know him!"

"Your brother?" Tommy frowned.

Grinning, Shinya nodded. "Yes, my brother Takuya!"

At Takuya's name, Shinya's eyes widened instantly. Pure joy spread across his face, and with a rush of energy that he hadn't had before, he grabbed Shinya's hand. "Takuya is really your brother?" he exclaimed. "Oh, then you must be Shinya! I'm so glad…so, so glad…" he struggled to keep in tears, and then began to laugh. He was so full of relief, that it seemed almost tangible around him.

By this time, Kou had gotten over his shock. He had been cowering not too far away, trying to decide whether to run for his life or stay and watch, and had somehow found the courage to stay. Now, he came forward with an incredulous expression. "Okay," he said to Shinya. "I believe you now."

Laughing, Shinya led the way to HYPNOS with one arm holding the digiegg, and his other hand pulling an excited but exhausted Tommy behind him. As Kou tagged along, shaking his head and talking about how amazing the fight had been to watch, Shinya concentrated on trying to figure out what to do from this point on. The situation still amazed and horrified him.

Tommy had probably spent the last four years being experimented on by his brother. His _brother! _The idea was so sick, it turned his stomach! The poor kid was so desperate to get away, that he'd begged Shinya to become his Tamer without even knowing who he was. That was just not okay!

Shinya gripped the egg and Tommy's hand tighter, gritting his teeth in anger. No, it was not okay. Something had to be done, and Yutaka had to be stopped.

Hopefully, Yamaki would know what to do.

-o-

Zoe hesitated, standing in front of the house that her hand-drawn map had led her too. She could hardly believe that she'd come. What was she thinking?

But then…he had given her his address before they parted ways at HYPNOS yesterday. And he'd invited her to come visit him any time…

"I'm too embarrassed," she groaned, turning swiftly and beginning to walk back up the street. She didn't get five feet away before someone reached out and caught her by the arm, stopping her from leaving. Gasping, she turned her head to see who it was.

A woman smiled at her, holding a bag of groceries in her arms. "Did you come here to visit Takuya?" she asked. She gave Zoe a knowing smile, and indicated her head toward her car, which was parked in front of the house. "He'll be home soon, why don't you help me carry these bags in?"

Blushing awkwardly, Zoe nodded, and went to help carry in the groceries. As she moved one bag after another into the house, all she could think about was how weird this was. She was at Takuya's house! This was probably Takuya's mom!

_This is so embarrassing! _She thought. _I don't have a reason for being here, I just…came! _

They finished carrying everything in, and Mrs. Kanbara cheerfully invited Zoe to sit down and have a cup of tea. "You must be Izumi-chan," she said. "Takuya told our family about what happened in the digital world four years ago—finally." Carefully, as though performing a tea ceremony, she placed a spoon of macha tea into the cup and followed it with hot water, then whisked it expertly with a wooden whisk. "My name is Misaki, and I'm Takuya's mother. It's so nice to finally meet you!" When she finished preparing the cup, she handed it to Zoe, her face beaming. "I used to do this when I worked at the temple near here, for tourists," she said. "Since having my boys, I never get the chance to do it much anymore."

"Thank you," Zoe murmured, lifting the cup and smelling the rich green tea flavor. She'd always heard about macha green tea, but she'd never had the chance to try it. After all, her mother was Italian, and their home life was very Western. The most Japanese cuisine that she ever ate was rice! She took a sip, and then blinked in surprise. "Wow, this is really good!"

"Oh I'm so glad," Misaki-san clapped her hands together. "You are so refined, too! Where are you from? Your hair is such a beautiful blonde color."

"My mother is Italian," Zoe smiled, although that didn't really explain her blonde hair. Most Italians were pale with dark hair, so it would probably be better to say that her mother's mother had been French, and she had had blonde hair. "We used to live there until I was ten, and I moved here after that." Pausing, she glanced at Takuya's mom curiously, holding the cup to her face. Misaki-san was so lovely, and her face and energy were vibrant—like Takuya's. There was something powerful and magnetic about her, almost as though she could be a Tamer. Was that weird?

_No, _Zoe decided inwardly. _It isn't weird. It seems just right. _But as she contemplated it, she wondered if all humans had the potential to be Tamers. Humans could bond with each other, with animals, and with digimon easily, if they wanted to. Their emotions and convictions could make them great, if they were motivated. So why couldn't any human become a Tamer? _I'll bet it's because not everyone is willing, _she thought. _Or perhaps they are afraid, and they doubt themselves. So that even if they wanted to become one, they would never be able to do it. How sad… There are enough humans for every digimon to have a partner. It shouldn't have to be that so few are chosen. _

"You look concerned," Misaki-san said, finishing preparing a cup of tea for herself. "Would you like to talk to me about it? Maybe I can help."

"I'm just thinking," Zoe sighed. "Actually I don't really know why I came here…Takuya and I exchanged phone numbers and addresses, so I probably should have called, but…"

"It's alright, he doesn't always answer his cell phone anyway," Misaki laughed. "He can be so absent-minded. Honestly, Izumi-chan, you can come visit any time you like! It's nice to have a girl in the house, for once. And besides, after spending so much time together, and sharing the same experiences, it makes sense that you two would want to see each other more often."

"Th-thank you," Zoe blushed. "You're very kind…"

The door flew open, and Takuya rushed in panting. Kicking his shoes off at the gaikan, he dashed into the living room excitedly. "Mom! Where's Shinya? I need to…" his voice trailed off when he saw Zoe sitting there, and his face suddenly brightened with excitement. "Zoe!" he said, grinning. "Hey!"

Just seeing him made her every nerve feel electrified. As a smile spread across her face, she rose from her spot on the couch quickly. "Hey," she echoed back. All other words were lost—she could only stare at him, smiling, and feeling like her whole world was spinning. _Takuya! He's standing right in front of me, _her mind sang.

Takuya came forward, glancing at the tea, and nodded with a knowing look on his face. "I see you brought out the macha," he said to his mom. Turning to Zoe, he stood there awkwardly, as though not sure how to greet her. "Mom is always wishing she could make it for people, but she never gets the chance. How do you like it?"

Zoe nodded, then somehow found her voice. "It's great!" she blurted. But then she felt too embarrassed to say anything else, and they stood near each other wordlessly. What were they supposed to do next?

"I'm going to go prepare dinner," Misaki smirked, standing up and taking her tray of tea supplies. "Please make yourself comfortable, Izumi-chan. I would love it if you stayed for dinner with us, too."

"Oh I couldn't…" Zoe breathed.

Takuya interrupted before she could finish. "She's staying," he said to his mom loudly, and then turned to grin at her. "Right?" he asked.

How could she say no?

Misaki walked into the kitchen, turned on the radio, and began to prepare dinner with an amused expression on her face. That left Takuya and Zoe alone in the living room, staring at each other.

Takuya broke the awkward silence as only Takuya could. "Look at us," he laughed. "We're acting so awkward! Come on, let's just get over the fact that we haven't seen each other in four years and hang out like we used to. We're friends, right?"

"Right," Zoe smiled in relief. They sat next to each other on the couch. "How's it going? Your mom said that you told them about the digital world last night. They seem to be taking it pretty well…"

"It seems that way," Takuya sighed. "But really I think it hit them pretty hard. Mom and Dad listened to me talk for hours without interrupting, like they were listening to a story about someone else. Shinya was fine, of course. He got really excited, and had no trouble believing it. Oh, he's a Tamer now! Isn't that neat?"

"Will he be your Tamer?" Zoe asked, somewhat surprised. She supposed it made sense for Takuya to partner with someone from his family, but hearing him say that made her feel weird. Almost like she was jealous.

"I told him no, at first," Takuya admitted. "But that's why I rushed home today. I think that I want him to be my Tamer—I mean, he's my brother! It's perfect!"

"Y-yeah," Zoe murmured, glancing sideways. After a moment, she turned back. "So what happened after you finished telling the story? What did your parents do? Mine talked to me for hours about what we should do, and even after I went to bed, they were talking late into the night. I think they're really concerned and upset by it." She grew sad as she talked, still seeing the worry in her parent's eyes. There was something else there too…almost like they would not or could not accept it.

"They were pretty quiet, for a while," Takuya admitted. "Mom just gave me a hug and told me she loved me, and Dad said that I was a man. He's always saying things like that... that I should be a man, or that I am a man, or that I'm not one. It's how he rates people, I guess. Then, we all went to bed and didn't say anything else about it. This morning though, Mom was extremely nice to me. I think it hit her kind of hard, and she's pretending it didn't. I mean, what mom wants to hear that their child almost died to save the world, and they didn't even know about it?"

"I know," Zoe nodded. "But what can we do? It's not like we chose this, we were just willing to do what needed to be done, no matter what. Now, our whole world is upside down." Growing emotional, she dropped her head and stared solemnly at the cup in her hands. A tear escaped from her eye, dropping onto her knee. "How will I ever find someone to be my Tamer? What if I don't want anyone?" _Anyone but you, _she wished she could say. But that was impossible from the start. Takuya was just like her.

"You will find someone!" Takuya insisted, reaching out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Strength flowed between them, as though he were trying to encourage her without words. "I'll help you, okay? We can look together."

She nodded. "I'd like that," she admitted quietly.

"In fact," Takuya said, gripping the hand that wasn't on her shoulder into a fist, "we should all get together and have a reunion to talk about everything. Don't you think? I've already met up with you and Kouji and Kouichi. We just need to find Tommy and JP!"

"How can we find them?" Zoe asked, lifting her head. His excitement was contagious, and she latched onto the idea with a growing sense of joy. It would be wonderful to hang out again, all six of them! "We've all tried over the years, and it's been impossible until now."

"HYPNOS could help us," Takuya shrugged. "There might be some way to track down specific digimon signals, who knows? But I know it's possible. I can feel it!"

Enraptured by his energy, Zoe was oblivious to anything and everything else. So when her pocket started vibrating, it scared her tremendously. Jumping to her feet, she pulled out her cell phone, and breathed in relief. "It's just my phone," she laughed nervously, then put it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked.

Her mother's voice on the other end was filled with panic. "Zoe? Where are you? We're worried sick about you! Did something happen?"

"What?" Zoe scowled, quickly growing annoyed. "No! I told you before I left, remember? I went to visit Takuya! You gave me permission!"

"You didn't call us to tell us you'd gotten there safely," her mother scolded. "Wait there, we'll come pick you up."

"No, Mom!" Zoe blurted, "I'm staying with the Kanbaras for dinner! You don't need to…"

"We'll be there in twenty minutes. Don't go anywhere!" The line ended as her mother hung up on her.

Standing rigidly in place, Zoe dropped her arm and glared at the ceiling. "Seriously," she groaned, feeling helpless and frustrated. "My parents are freaking out way too much!"

Takuya stood up from the couch, and carefully took her hand in his. "Then they can stay for dinner too," he said gently, smiling encouragingly at her. "Maybe it would help for them to talk with my parents about their concerns. Who knows?"

Zoe looked over, meeting his eyes with her heart racing. _He's holding my hand! _She thought breathlessly. And as they stood there, silently gazing at one another, the electric feeling that coursed through her began to grow stronger and stronger until she could barely stand it. The spot between her legs began to ache.

_Not now, _she thought desperately. _Please, body… stop reacting! _

But she could not bring herself to move or pull away. Completely captivated by his smile and his touch, she lost herself in his eyes, aware of nothing but him.

It was Takuya who finally freed her from his gaze. "Mom, Zoe's parents are coming over," he called over his shoulder, looking toward the kitchen. A slight blush colored his face, and he dropped Zoe's hand awkwardly. He too, seemed to be affected by their interaction. "Let's get them to stay for dinner, and maybe we can talk to them. They're pretty freaked out about Zoe being a digimon and all."

Misaki poked her head around the corner, a look of surprise on her face. "Oh, alright," she said. "That's probably a good idea. You can't blame them for being freaked out, can you?"

"I guess not, but still," Zoe mumbled, blushing red and throwing herself back on the couch. All over her body, her nerves were on fire and screaming for Takuya's touch. It was driving her crazy! "Takuya, can I use your bathroom?" she asked.

Takuya blinked, and then nodded. "Yeah, of course. Here, I'll show you where it is…" he led her down the hallway to the bathroom, and smiled sheepishly at her. "Don't worry about your parents, k? We'll help them to calm down. They just love you, that's all."

"I know," Zoe sighed. As she walked past him into the bathroom, their hands brushed each other by accident. She froze at the door, and her heartbeat rapidly increased just from the contact. _Snap out of it! _She thought desperately. _What must he think of you, acting like this? _Slowly, she turned her head to meet his eyes.

He was standing rigidly beside her, his face blank, like he couldn't breathe. But his eyes swirled with emotion, and his pupils were dilated. When their eyes met, he leaned forward slowly, almost as though he intended to kiss her.

At the last second, he turned away abruptly and hurried down the hall. "I'll go set the table!" he called.

Shaking with adrenaline, Zoe stumbled into the bathroom and shut the door, collapsing onto the ground. She placed one hand over her beating heart, trying to calm her breathing. _Does he… does he also feel this way? _She thought, anxiously wishing and dreading it at the same time.

She spent the next two minutes forcing herself to calm down, and washing her face with cold water.

-o-

Tommy was nervous.

HYPNOS was not only massive, it was full of scientists, and just being near them made him feel like bolting out the door as fast as he could. The only thing keeping him from completely freaking out was the strong grip of his Tamer.

_Shinya, _he thought, his breath coming easier as he spoke the name in his mind. _Takuya's brother. How lucky am I to have found him! It's almost like fate. _

In front of him, Shinya turned around, smiling with confidence. "Tommy," he said, "this is Yamaki. He's the one who certified me as a Tamer. I think he can help us."

Tommy looked up to see a tall man with blonde hair, wearing a suit. The man's eyes were covered by sunglasses, and he wore a contemplative scowl on his face. He didn't _feel _like an enemy, but he was still intimidating. "Hello," Tommy said, hesitation in his voice. "Sorry for the intrusion."

Yamaki studied him silently for a moment, before offering a smile. "Welcome to HYPNOS," he said gently. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Why don't we go to my office to talk? Shinya says it's serious."

"Sounds good," Shinya said, when Tommy didn't reply. As Yamaki led the way, he pulled on Tommy's hand and urged him to follow. Silently watching their exchange, Shinya's friend Kou hurried to keep up with them. They went down several halls, up an elevator, and down another hallway before they reached the office, and did not speak again until they were seated on the couch that was invitingly waiting for them inside.

Yamaki sat on an arm chair, across from them, and folded his hands together with a serious expression. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked, glancing at each one of them.

Shinya set the digiegg he'd been carrying on the coffee table in front of them, and let go of Tommy's hand. The sudden break in contact made him feel instantly afraid. "It's like this," he said, getting right to the point. "This is Tomoki Himi, one of the kids who went to the digital world with Takuya. He's a digimon."

Swallowing in terror, Tommy's eyes darted over to watch Yamaki's reaction. This is where he would order Tommy to be seized and locked up to be experimented on, he knew it! Cringing, he leaned a little bit closer to Shinya for protection.

So it surprised him when Yamaki said nothing, but nodded and waited for Shinya to continue.

"The thing is, he was being chased by his brother, who is a scientist," Shinya kept going, his face growing dark as he spoke. "Apparently, his brother Yutaka has been experimenting on him ever since he came back from the digital world. This egg was his partner, Daemon, and he used Daemon to attack us and try to kill us!"

"Partner?" Tommy blurted, turning in surprise to look at Shinya. "Yutaka has no partner. He's not a Tamer!"

"He said that he was when he tried to take you back," Shinya scowled. "But that just makes it worse. Why was Daemon obeying him?"

"Because," Tommy shuddered. "He had to. Yutaka captures digimon and uses them for his experiments, forcing them to obey him. He says we're lesser beings…that we're made to serve humans. He said…that I…" he stopped talking, covering his ears with his hands as years of his brother's words began to haunt him. _You've become nothing more than a creature, _he heard Yutaka sneering at him. _Don't try to resist this. You serve me now! _"No!" he cried, trembling. "I wont! I'm not your slave!"

He wasn't aware that his name was being called until suddenly, he found himself being knocked to the ground. His eyes snapped open in surprise, and he looked up to see Shinya on top of him, pinning him down. "Tommy!" Shinya yelled at his face. "It's okay! Calm down, you're safe now!"

_I'm safe? _Tommy thought, blinking. Where was he? Wasn't he back in the lab? Wasn't Yutaka strapping him down to the table and sticking him with needles? "Where am I?" he asked, his voice distant.

Above him, Shinya's face contorted with concern and rage. His arms shook, as though he wished he could do something, but he was helpless. "You're with me now," he said through clenched teeth. "I'm your Tamer now, okay? I'll protect you. You never have to go back to that place again. Okay?"

Tommy's body relaxed, and only then did he realize that he'd been clenched up like a rock. "That's right," he sighed, closing his eyes. "You're Shinya….you're Takuya's brother, aren't you? Takuya always protected me, too. You're…a lot like him…"

He felt his Tamer stand up, and heard him cursing under his breath. "That bastard," Shinya growled. Tommy could feel his rage through the connection they shared as partners. "Who would do something like this to their own brother?"

"This is very serious," Yamaki answered, and he too sounded full of anger. "We will find your brother, Tomoki. We will stop him. I promise. In the meantime, your parents need to know what's going on. Can you give me their number?"

"My parents…" Tommy opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling. He felt numb, like he couldn't figure out what he was supposed to feel. "My parents are dead. They died three years ago in a car accident. Yutaka is my legal guardian."

"Not anymore," Yamaki stood, and stormed out of the office.

Shinya reached down and pulled Tommy to his feet, nodded emphatically. "Don't worry," he assured him. "You can stay at my house with me. Yamaki will handle the legal side of things so that Yutaka can't come to take you back." He turned to his friend and glanced at the door. "Kou, I'm going to take Tommy to my house. Can you let Yamaki know?"

Kou nodded, standing beside them with his hands clenching and unclenching into fists. "Yes," he said. "I wish…" his voice trailed off, like he wanted to do something, but had no idea what he could do to help. "I'm sorry," he said, looking up and meeting Tommy's eyes.

Tommy tried to smile at him. "Thanks," he said quietly. "Um…nice to meet you. Kou, right?"

Kou nodded. "Come hang out with us sometime, okay?" he said. "We'll make sure you can live a normal life. We'll be friends, okay?"

"Okay," Tommy replied. But as Shinya pulled him out the door and began to lead him through the building and out the main doors, he still felt like he was numb and dreaming.

Was any of this really happening? Or was he back at the lab? Sometimes it was so hard to tell which was the dream and which was reality. Hundreds of times, he had escaped from the lab and found his friends again, and even found out that his parents were still alive. Then, he would wake up and find himself back in the lab, Yutaka leaning over him and telling him that he was just an insect—a tool that would bring the humans to a greater future. Maybe this was one of those times.

"I hope this is real," he murmured out loud.

Ahead of him, Shinya turned and look back at him, his face full of determination. "It's real," he said firmly. His grip tightened on Tommy's hand.

"Okay," Tommy said quietly.

But was it really real?

-o-

_Wow, that's another thing I find is difficult to write about. What would happen to a child that loses his parents, and then his one remaining family member cruelly experiments on him and treats him like he is not even human? I don't think someone could come out of that without mental scars. Hopefully, I can do it justice without being too cliché for why Yutaka has become like this...you'll just have to wait and find out! Don't worry, all will be explained in the end.  
_

_This chapter was weird in that I didn't write Takuya's perspective at all! I felt like it needed to be done, but I don't think I'll do that anymore. Takuya is the main character, after all. For those who asked, JP will most definitely be showing up, but his entrance is somewhat awesome so you will have to wait a bit longer. He has not been forgotten, though. _

_Also, in answer to ho hot's question, this is most definitely a Takumi story, and though it has the Rukato pairing, it isn't really about Takato and Rika. They're still together, though. hee hee!  
_

_Tell me what you think! Tell me, tell me, tell me! Can you tell where I'm leading? Does it kill you the way it's progressing? Is it horrible? Boring? Good? Bad? _

_Lol… I guess I'm just excited, and dying to know what you think. Thank you for reading this far!_

_~Rukatofan_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Takuyamon**_

-o-

**Disclaimer**: Digimon does not belong to me.

**Warning**: This story contains slightly more mature content, including fighting/violence, sexual themes, and swearing, which is why I rated it M just to be safe. Please read with discretion. Thank you.

Thank you The Keeper of Worlds, Swanhilde, ho hot, and the-ice-cold-alchemist for your reviews and your support! I can't tell you enough how much it encourages me and helps me to feel braver about writing and continuing my story! This chapter is dedicated to you because you took the time to tell me what you thought. Thank you!

-o-

**Chapter Nine**

-o-

If he had to spend one more minute like this, he knew. Something in him was going to snap. Every time he met her eyes, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his heart. When she smiled, he was nearly overcome with the desire to reach out and touch her. But when he _did _touch her, even just brushing past her by accident…

Takuya hid in the confines of the kitchen for the hundredth time, struggling to keep his heart rate down. _What the hell is wrong with me? _He thought desperately. _Every time I touch her, I feel like I'm going to go insane! I just want to… _his face blushed, and he covered it with his hand. _I can't even think it, it's too embarrassing. _

He hadn't even realized that the feeling had been growing in him, all this time, until just now. Sure, he'd felt an immediate joy just from seeing her face, but the magnitude of emotions that Zoe created in him was staggering. When she smiled, he felt like heaven had opened up and shone its face on him. When she cried, it tore him up, and he was instantly protective of her. When their eyes met, he couldn't even bear the idea of looking away. Without even realizing it, she had taken hold of his heart.

How had it happened so fast?

_It wasn't that fast, really, _he thought, regaining control of his urge to rush out there and grab her, kiss her, or touch her, anything to be close to her. _In the digital world, I had slowly begun to like her, although I didn't think much of it at the time. She promised me and Kouji a date, too, if we managed to win… maybe I should cash in on that promise._

Although just the though of Zoe also giving Kouji a date made him suddenly feel angry and jealous. He didn't _want _her to go on a date with anyone except him!

Laughter from outside the kitchen startled him, and he remembered that he'd rushed in here to get Zoe's mother a glass of water—and also to try to calm down his thundered heart. It reminded him that the more he kept escaping like this, the more they would notice. _I just need to hold out until Zoe and her parents leave. That's all, _he thought.

Luckily, that didn't seem like it would be too long until they did. They had arrived shortly after they'd called her, insisting on leaving right that second, but Takuya's mom was not a host that they could easily resist. She had managed to pull them in, sit them down for dinner, and talk to them for the last hour and a half about their concerns. In the end, it had been the perfect solution to Zoe's parent's over-reactions.

Takuya sighed, filled up a glass, and came out of the kitchen as composed as normal, bringing the water with him. "Here you go," he said to Zoe's mom, smiling like nothing was wrong. "One glass of water, as ordered."

"You are such a sweet boy," Mrs. Orimoto smiled at him.

Takuya just grinned. As he retook his seat at the table, his eyes strayed to where Zoe was seated. Almost against his will, their eyes met, and his heart started beating like crazy again. _Maybe if I just smile at her, she wont know that I'm going insane, _he thought.

Zoe smiled back at him, as though she just couldn't keep herself from doing it. It may have been hours later that they finally looked away, and only because her parents were tapping her on the shoulder and telling her it was time to go. "Already?" Zoe asked, blinking like she was coming out of a daze.

"Yes, we've been here for two hours," her father said. "I think it's time to go home." He turned, bowing to Takuya's mom with a smile on his face. "Thank you for your hospitality, and for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. It's nice to know that we're not the only parents who have had this sprung on them like this."

"Well, you know kids," Takuya's mom laughed. "Sometimes they can be idiots. But that's what parents are here for, right?" she hugged Takuya, rubbing his head affectionately.

"Mom," Takuya groaned, pulling away.

"Takuya, why don't you walk the Orimotos to the door?" she suggested, and then bowed to her guests. "Thank you so much for staying! Let's have dinner again sometime, I've really enjoyed this."

"Me too," Zoe's mother said. She did seem much more relieved since dinner, especially since she had been able to talk to someone who was going through exactly the same thing as her. "We will definitely see each other again."

As Takuya showed them out and watched Mr. and Mrs. Orimoto get into their car, he was suddenly overcome by his feelings. Reaching out a hand, he stopped Zoe before she could leave at the last second.

She paused, turning to look up at him with a look of such longing, it snapped whatever resolve he'd managed to hold onto. He _had _to kiss her. Slowly he lifted his hand up to her neck, pulling her to him, and leaned his head to meet hers.

"Zoe, stop dawdling!" her mother called. "We need to get home!"

Zoe shuddered, irritation crossing her face, but she managed to turn away and get into the car. "I'm coming," she complained. Seating herself and closing the door with fumbling hands, she turned and looked out the window, raising a hand to wave at him. "Bye," she mouthed, a half-smile, half-grimace on her face.

Takuya tried to smile back. "Bye," he whispered. As the car drove away, he stood there like an idiot, staring at the road long after she was out of sight. It took great effort to pull himself from his stupor and stumble back into the house.

"She's a lovely girl," his mom said when he walked in. She was cleaning the dishes, humming happily to herself. "You could invite her over more often, you know."

Takuya laughed once, rubbing his face with his hand. Right now, he felt like if he saw Zoe one more time, his control would be gone. He'd be all over her before she had time to say his name.

"Takuya, are you alright?" his mom asked, pausing in her cleaning to study him. After a moment, she smirked and turned back. "Hmmm. I see."

Her words irked him for some reason. "You see what?" he snapped, throwing himself onto the couch.

"You like her," she teased. "Don't you?"

"Mom, this is really not a discussion I want to be having with you."

"Suit yourself," she shrugged. But he could tell….she was grinning to herself about it. Geez…why did moms have to be so annoying?

"Mom! Dad! Takuya!" the door opened rapidly, and Shinya hurried in with a serious expression. "I need to talk to you all, right now."

"Your father's not home yet," their mom said, coming quickly from the kitchen. "What is it? Where have you been? You missed dinner, and you didn't answer your cell…" her voice trailed off when she saw that he had a friend with him, and her gaze became an unspoken question.

Takuya had sat up abruptly, feeling overjoyed that his brother had finally come home. But when he saw the boy standing next to him, he felt like his heart stopped beating for a second. Eyes widening with disbelief and excitement, he came forward to the door. _It can't be, _he thought, staring at the boy that cowered behind his brother. _No, that can't be Tommy… Can it? _

"Mom, Takuya," Shinya said gravely. "This is Tomoki Himi…one of Takuya's friends from the digital world." He paused, and his eyes shifted to meet Takuya's questioning gaze. There was a guilty expression on his face. "I'm his Tamer."

At those words, Takuya's grin froze on his face. For a moment, he stood there not knowing whether to be ridiculously happy to see Tommy again, or incredibly disappointed that Shinya had turned around and gotten himself a different partner. Hadn't they agreed to at least wait until the end of the month? Why so suddenly partner up with someone else, even if it was Tommy?

When he managed to regain control of himself, he shoved aside his hurt feelings and grinned excitedly instead. "Tommy!" he said, coming forward and placing a hand on the boy's head. "It's been forever, buddy! How have you been?"

Tommy looked older, but still had the same brown hair, big eyes, and child-like expression. But the more Takuya looked at him, the more concerned he began to feel. Tommy was thin, almost malnourished, and there was a nervousness behind his expression that had never been there before. His energy, too, was different than it used to be. It almost felt vulnerable and faint, like a tiny flame that might get snuffed out. Where Kouji's and Zoe's had been vibrant, Tommy's felt almost _frayed_.

The smile began to fade from Takuya's face, especially when touching Tommy did not create the Burst Mode feeling that it had when he'd touched Kouji and Zoe. Something was definitely wrong!

"Hi Takuya," Tommy said, smiling at him. His face was distant, and he looked around him with the face of someone who thinks that they're dreaming. "What is this place? Is it your home?"

"Yeah, it's my home," Takuya said. He glanced back at Shinya, growing alarmed. This didn't seem normal at all.

"Can we sit down in the living room?" Shinya asked. He grimaced when he met Takuya's eyes. "There's kind of a lot to discuss."

Their mom went to action, pulling them into the living room and preparing some tea and snacks. As she directed them, she spoke kindly to Tommy, and made sure to give him plenty of food and tea. It was strange the way that he stared at what she brought him like he was afraid to touch it. "Okay then," she said, when everyone was situated. "Shinya, why don't you tell us everything?"

Shinya nodded, looking nervous, and glanced at Tommy warily. "Tommy needs a place to stay right now," he said slowly. "And he became my partner this afternoon. I was wondering if he could stay with us until Yamaki can get figure out…everything else."

"Of course he can stay here," their mother nodded. "It might be a good idea to let his parents know…"

"My parents are dead," Tommy spoke up. He continued to look around the house in amazement, admiring everything he could see. "But Yutaka is my guardian." At his own words, he paused and grew anxious, turning to look at Shinya in fear. "He's a liar," he said quietly. "Don't listen to him, even if he tells you it's alright."

His face contorting with helpless anger, Shinya placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Snap out of it, Tommy! You're not dreaming, this is real. You never have to go back there again, okay? Look, it's my brother, Takuya! You remember him, right?"

Tommy's eyes widened, and he turned and looked at Takuya like he was seeing him for the first time. "Takuya!" he exclaimed. "It's you! It's really you! I never thought I'd see you again…"

Watching all of this take place, Takuya felt his alarm quickly growing into horror. _What the hell happened? _He thought furiously. Plastering on a happy smile for Tommy's sake, he came over and gave Tommy a hug, rubbing his head like he used to four years ago. "Course it's me," he said cheerfully. "I knew we'd run into each other again. We're the best Legendary Warriors ever, right?"

"Right," Tommy grinned. Tears streamed down his cheeks, but he didn't seem to notice they were there. "It would be great to see everyone else, too. I wonder what happened to them? Did Kouji get to meet his mom? Did Kouichi recover from the hospital? Oh, and did Zoe and JP ever start dating? He was always so crazy about her, remember that?" he laughed, holding his stomach. "There's so much to catch up on!"

"And now that you're here, we definitely can," Takuya promised. "Kouji and Kouichi go to my school. Pretty neat, huh? I met up with Zoe, too. In fact, her family was just over at my house for dinner. You just missed them! We haven't seen JP yet, but I'm sure that we'll find him."

"If you're sure, then we will," Tommy sighed. His eyes closed, and he leaned back against the couch involuntarily. "So happy…to see you…again. You always made me feel…so safe…"

"You are safe," Shinya pleaded with him. "Trust me, Tommy. Okay?"

Tommy nodded, smiling weakly. "I trust you," he murmured. "You're my partner. You promised…to…" his voice trailed off, and suddenly he was asleep.

The three Kanbaras sat around him, staring at him in silence, as though they didn't know what to do. Finally, Misaki lifted her head and looked at Shinya. "Tell me everything," she whispered, her eyes bright with tears.

Shinya nodded, clenching his hands into fists. "I met Tommy right after school," he said, keeping his voice quiet. "He ran up to me, looking like he'd just been running for his life, and begged me to become his Tamer. At that time, he didn't even know who I was, he was just desperate. Then he fell unconscious, so I decided to take him to HYPNOS to see if they could help. That was when I ran into Yutaka."

Takuya scowled, growing confused. "Yutaka," he murmured. "That name is familiar. I remember Tommy telling me about someone named Yutaka…I think it was his brother."

"It is his brother," Shinya growled, gritting his teeth. "Turns out, ever since Tommy's parents died in an accident, he's been experimenting on Tommy like he was some kind of lab rat! He's been capturing and controlling digimon, saying things like Tommy is a lesser creature, and that digimon exist to serve humans. Then he attacked us to try and take Tommy back, and even sent Daemon to kill us!"

Their mother gasped, covering her mouth with her hand in horror. Knowing her fiery attitude though, it was probably just her attempt to keep from screaming in rage, so that she wouldn't wake Tommy up.

"So I became Tommy's partner, so that I could give him the strength to fight back," Shinya sighed. "Then we went to HYPNOS and told Yamaki. Right now, Yamaki is taking care of the legal side of things so that Yutaka is no longer Tommy's guardian, but that still leaves him without a place to stay. I was hoping that you would let him stay with me for a while." He looked up at his mom. "Please mom, he's really scared. He just needs a place that feels safe, and I think our house is the best place for him. Takuya is here, after all, and he keeps saying that he feels safe around Takuya." He paused, turning his head to look at Tommy for a moment, before gripping his clenched hands in determination. "And I'm here," he added. "I'm his Tamer. He needs me."

"Of course he can stay here," Misaki nodded. "You did the right thing, Shinya. I'll call Yamaki in the morning, so for right now, let's just put Tommy in your room for the night." She stood, went to the sleeping twelve-year-old, and hesitated for a moment.

"Mom, let me," Takuya insisted. He came over and lifted Tommy into his arms, then carried him carefully up the stairs into Shinya's room. He couldn't believe how light he was, and how weak he felt. It wasn't right.

"Put him on the bed," Shinya ordered. "I'll sleep on the floor."

"Okay," Takuya nodded. Lowering him to the bed, Takuya pulled up the covers so that Tommy would not get cold, and stepped out of the room. Shinya followed him, his face conflicted. "Hey," Takuya said, turning to study his brother. "Shinya."

Shinya flinched, but he looked up and met Takuya's eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know that I told you I wanted to be your partner. And that hasn't changed, I just…"

"Thank you," Takuya interrupted him.

Blinking, Shinya frowned. "What?" he asked.

Takuya placed his hands on Shinya's shoulders, overcome by his emotions. "Thank you, Shinya," he insisted. "Thank you for doing that, for protecting him and not even thinking about yourself. Tommy was always such a good kid…I really cared about him, you know? But I couldn't have done that for him—become his Tamer, I mean. If not for you, he might not have been able to get away from that horrible situation. Thank you….so much…"

"Hey there," Shinya sighed. He placed a hand on top of Takuya's hand, smirking awkwardly. "You're not going to cry, are you? Cuz I thought you were tougher than that…"

"I'm being serious," Takuya insisted. "And I wanted you to know that. I'm not upset that you became Tomnmy's Tamer. I'm proud of you."

Shinya nodded once, looking relieved. "I just couldn't stand it," he said quietly. "No one should have to go through that."

"He wont have to ever again," Takuya promised. "You and me, we'll look out for him."

"Yeah," Shinya chuckled. "We will."

Retreating to his own room, Takuya threw himself on his bed and stared at the ceiling, letting his feelings, thoughts and emotions rush through him in a jumbled mess. Rage, at hearing and seeing what had happened to Tommy—who had once been so happy and full of life; Sadness, because the one person that he'd been hoping for to have as his partner and Tamer had chosen someone else; Frustration, because he wanted Zoe in ways that he shouldn't want her, and couldn't do anything about. All of these things he felt with such intensity, it threatened to take over his mind.

"Get me out of here," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. But it wasn't that simple. No one could escape their own life just because they wanted to. At least for tonight, he could shove it all behind the curtain of sleep, and worry about it tomorrow.

But that just meant tomorrow would be a hell of a day.

-o-

The first thing that Shinya was aware of the next morning was his alarm blaring at him—which he ignored. But the second thing he noticed was a weird feeling that seemed to crawl up and down his skin, almost like an itch that couldn't be physically felt, but it still irritated him. Then suddenly, he knew what it was.

Someone was staring at him.

Jolting upright, he threw his covers off, looking around him in alarm. He was lying on a make-shift bed on the floor, and someone was lying on his bed, watching him.

"Good morning," Shinya groaned, standing up and slamming his hand on the alarm clock to shut it up. He glanced at Tommy, scowling a little bit when he got no response. Lying on his stomach with his chin resting on crossed arms, Tommy watched him with unblinking eyes, almost like a wary animal that wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. "Did you sleep ok?" he asked, trying to get some kind of response.

Slowly, Tommy sat up and slipped off the bed glancing at it with a blank expression. After a moment, he turned back. "This isn't a dream, is it?" he asked, sounding distant.

"No, it isn't," Shinya said.

"I can tell," Tommy continued. He glanced at his hands, frowning at them as though he wasn't used to seeing them. "It's that unnerving feeling—the _unraveling_—that I don't feel anymore. It used to be there all the time, buzzing under my skin like insects…" he shivered, dropping his hands. "That's not there anymore."

"And that's good, right?" Shinya asked, inwardly horrified. What the hell had this kid gone through? Swiftly, he grabbed his school uniform, jumped into the closet to change—for some reason he just felt weird changing in front of Tommy—and came out again to find his new partner standing in the same spot as before.

Tommy stared at him in silence, until he seemed to realize that he hadn't answered yet. "Yes," he said, a smile breaking out over his face. "Haha, yes it's a good thing."

"Okay…that's good," Shinya offered a half smile in return. He grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt, handed them to Tommy, and shoved him toward the closet. "Get changed," he ordered. "We have to go to school."

"Am I allowed to go?" Tommy asked, looking surprised. He entered the closet, coming out shortly in Shinya's clothes. They were a little bit too big on him, only accentuating his thin frame even more.

"You're supposed to be going to school," Shinya scolded. "It's what kids our age do! Just come with me, and we'll talk to the superintendant. He'll get you set up in my class for now."

"Hahaha!" Tommy laughed, smiling easily.

For some reason, him laughing like that seemed like a really weird response, and without knowing how to respond, Shinya sighed and began to walk down the stairs. "Come on," he called, shaking his head. He was beginning to question what he was thinking, becoming the Tamer to a mentally traumatized kid like this. Was this going to be too much work? _It's like I'm babysitting the crazy kid, _he groaned inwardly. _But what else can I do? _

"Morning," Takuya said, coming upon them in the kitchen. He smiled cheerfully, but there was something in his eyes that hadn't been there the day before. Shinya could feel it, like an invisible wall, separating them.

"Morning Nii-san," Shinya said quietly. His stomach clenched up, and for the hundredth time since he'd taken Tommy as his partner, he asked himself if he had done the wrong thing. _Takuya wont say it, but he's hurt by it. He's too nice to say it… _

Tommy turned his head, watching Shinya with a curious look, and then turned to look up at Takuya. "Takuya," he said, smiling faintly. "Thank you."

Both brothers looked at him strangely, before exchanging clueless glances with each other. "You're welcome?" Takuya grinned. He rubbed Tommy's head, dismissing whatever weirdness he could. "You sleep ok? Nice to see a smile on your face. You figure out this isn't a dream yet?"

"Yeah," Tommy grinned back. "But I still kind of feel like I'm dreaming. I can't remember which side of me is the right side, you know?"

"You have two sides?" Takuya chuckled. "What, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?"

"No…I just…mean…" Tommy frowned, struggling to think for a minute, before giving up and sighing. "Never mind. It's just harder now. Everything's harder. Or it was, until I met Shinya. I haven't felt this normal since the digital world." He paused, then laughed sheepishly. "Okay, even I know I'm not being normal. But I don't really know what normal is for me, anymore."

"You'll find it. You're a good kid, and I'm glad to see you can still smile," Takuya assured him. "That was your goal, right? To learn to keep smiling and stand up to your fears? Looks like you succeeded, even despite what you've been through."

"No, that wasn't it," Tommy's smile faded a little, and his eyes strayed, looking distant. "I said I wasn't going to be afraid anymore…that I wasn't going to cry anymore." He looked up again with a painful smile that hurt to look at. "I was stronger then."

"Let's…go to school," Shinya urged. "Normal life, remember? That's your new goal, so let's make it happen."

"Right," Tommy nodded, taking a deep breath. And though he still seemed frail and not quite right, he did seem much calmer than yesterday, like everything about him was a little more stable. He seemed to gain strength just by standing between Shinya and Takuya, and the worry began to fade from his face.

They walked out the door, taking their lunch and breakfast that Shinya's mom had made them, walking toward school in silence. They weren't really sure what to say to each other after that.

-o-

Renamon threw the rogue Garurumon to the ground, pulling her attack back at the last second. He was defeated, and two seconds from being turned into a digiegg like all the other digimon she'd been fighting through the night. But this one seemed more coherent than the others. "Talk to me," she ordered.

The digimon shuddered, struggling more against some unseen force than her own grip. It did not reply to her, but growled menacingly.

She was exhausted. All night, it had been one digimon after another, pouring into the city as though searching for something. They all seemed half-crazed, like they weren't even aware of what they were doing, except that they _must _search. If she had to keep doing this without rest, it was going to kill her! "Tell me!" she yelled. "What are you searching for?"

At those words, Garurumon thrashed wildly, until he had no more energy left. Before she could do anything, he began to destabilize and dissolve right in front of her. Only then did he seem to escape from the fog over his mind. "Find him," Garurumon growled, his eyes pleading with her as he died. "Bring him…back…."

"Who?" Renamon asked. "Find who, Garurumon? Who has done this to you? Tell me…"

"The Master," Garurumon closed his eyes. Then he was gone, dissolved into nothing, with not even a digiegg left behind.

Renamon turned away, overcome with grief and weariness. It was bad enough to reduce digimon to digieggs simply because they were being controlled by some unknown enemy. But for them to die completely like this…

"Renamon!" Rika called, running up to her from down the street. She was panting, worn down, and pale. "You were too fast…where did Garurumon go?"

Turning her head, Renamon indicated the spot on the ground where he had vanished, and bowed her head.

"No…" Rika whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. She walked forward, placing a hand on her partner's arm to lend her strength. "I'm sorry Renamon. I'm sure you did everything you could."

"He said something, before he died," Renamon said quietly. "I asked him what they are searching for, and he said 'Find him; Bring him back.' He was not himself, and I think that it was all he could say."

"Find who?" Rika asked, scowling darkly. "Bring who back? Who would be able to enslave all these digimon, and for what purpose?"

"I asked him," Renamon frowned. "He only said, 'The Master.'"

"The Master?" Rika hissed. "What kind of master is that? That's sick! We need to find this bastard and…"

"Rika…" Renamon pleaded. "I'm tired…"

Rika paused, concern striking her face. "Renamon I'm sorry," she murmured, stroking Renamon's yellow fur. "You're right, let's go home and rest, you've been fighting all night. I'll give Yamaki a call and have someone else take over."

"Thank you," Renamon nodded. They walked back toward home, and she tried to put aside her sadness for Garurumon without success. Ever since five years ago, when she and Rika had become Sakuyamon, she had felt a special love for all life, and held a strong desire to preserve and protect it whenever she could. For Garurumon to die because he was being controlled by a master who forced him to become so unstable that he could not live any longer…it made her feel heavy-hearted.

"We'll stop them," Rika assured her. "Whoever they are, they wont succeed."

"Yes," Renamon nodded. "I only hope that we can find this 'master' before any one else dies."

"And before he finds who he's looking for," Rika added, her face grave.

-o-

Kouji paused, a jolt of electricity rushing through him when he sensed Takuya's presence, and he struggled to keep himself from rushing at him. It really was unbelievable how affected he was! Why couldn't he keep control of himself? It just didn't make sense. He was Kouji—calm, collected, and skilled. Something like this shouldn't affect him, right?

But every time he came in contact with Takuya's energy, there was something there that just drove him over the edge. It was like a magnet of pure strength, an exhilarating connection that he shared with no one else, and a raw, inexplicable instinct to simply rush in and experience the fight, calling to him. He'd met and fought plenty of digimon, but none of them created this reaction in him. Even Kouichi, his brother and Tamer, whom he loved like he loved his own self, was a pale light in comparison.

Takuya was the ultimate goal, and fighting him created the most indescribable feelings Kouji had ever felt. It wasn't _fair _to force him not to!

Kouichi paused next to him, a slight smirk on his face as he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Thank you," he said quietly.

_Don't thank me yet, _Kouji sighed, turning his eyes to glare in Takuya's direction. _If that guy looks at me wrong, there's no telling what might happen. _

But Takuya did not turn their way. He walked on, watching the ground with a conflicted expression on his face. He almost seemed depressed. It was so… abnormal.

"Do you think something happened?" Kouichi asked. "He texted us to say he couldn't hang out because he had to get home."

_There should be a smile on his face, _Kouji scowled, overcome with the inexplicable desire to see Takuya grinning like normal. He walked forward, aware of his twin keeping pace beside him, until he caught up with his friend. "Hey!" he yelled, reaching out to catch Takuya by the arm and stop him.

As if on instinct, Takuya leapt into the air and flipped, arching gracefully until he landed several feet away. It happened so fast, someone else might have missed it. But since Kouji could see and move at a must faster pace than anyone else, he had no trouble following the movement with his eyes. The leap was actually quite excellent. "Kouji," Takuya breathed, relaxing when he saw his friend's face. "I thought you were someone else."

For some reason, the comment irritated him. Kouji scowled, displeased, and turned away as though offended. "Someone else?" he scoffed. _Does he not even recognize my energy? I can pick him out from a crowd a million people large, and he… _

"I'm just kind of out of it," Takuya interrupted his thoughts. "You'll never guess what happened yesterday."

"You finally admitted that Kouji is better than Takuya," Kouji supplied. He smirked, amused.

"You wish," Takuya grinned. He seemed to be getting a little of his spirit back, which didn't do anything to help Kouji keep from flinging himself at him in a battle. "Actually it's kind of serious. See…Shinya is a Tamer, you know? And I thought he was going to be _my_ Tamer, but then…" his voice trailed off, and he waited anxiously.

"But then?" Kouichi prompted, growing impatient as the bell rang, indicating they needed to split up and go to their classes.

Takuya's face twisted into a look that seemed too complex for just one emotion. Anger, worry, sadness, happiness…all of those mixed together into one weird, half-smile half-grimace. "He became Tommy's Tamer instead."

"Oh!" Kouichi blurted. He paused, then nodded in understanding. "Oh….Takuya…I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine…that's actually…it's a good thing," Takuya sighed. "You guys, Tommy's not okay. His data is really unstable—I can sense it, it's almost completely unraveled. Turns out, since getting back from the digital world, his parents died in a car accident, and his brother—and legal guardian—began experimenting on him."

"What?" Kouji blurted, rage filling him. How could a brother do something like that? A person who becomes so twisted that they experiment on a living being is horrible enough. But to do it to one's own brother? It made him feel sick. "Tommy…" he clenched his fists tighter, shaking his head. "He's just a kid…"

"That's horrible!" Kouichi whispered. "He's got to have some scars from that…"

"Yeah he's not all there," Takuya grimaced. "He clings to my brother like a lost puppy, and he looks and acts like he's broken. I just can't…can't watch that without feeling so angry I just want to…" Takuya squeezed his eyes shut, and an alarming spike of power began to build in him at a rapid pace.

Kouji stared at him, awed. Even without a Tamer, he could instantly push his power levels to ridiculous heights. _How do I put it? _He thought, frowning. _It's like he's the Tamer __**and**__ the digimon… but without the control that a Tamer would give him. What does that make him? _

"Let's talk after class," Kouichi whispered. He hurried off, beckoning Kouji to follow him, and Takuya nodded and went to his own classroom. As Kouji caught up to his brother, Kouichi reached out and took hold of his shoulder for support. "It's just horrible," he said, shaking his head. "Poor Tommy…"

Kouji nodded, his face dark. _And poor bastard who experimented on him, _he thought, and rage boiled around inside him. _When I find that guy, he's going to wish he was never born! _

-o-

_This one was more difficult to write, because it was a transition chapter. I hope it wasn't too sappy, or too obvious. Also, for those wondering why I chose these roles for these characters, (aka, Tommy being the tortured one, Takuya the main one, JP the mysterious character who hasn't entered yet, etc.) it's because I thought that it fit best for the story. But if you think something might have been better different, let me know. I always like to hear your thoughts and comments.  
_

_Anyway, please let me know what you think! You KNOW I am dying to hear!_

_~Rukatofan_


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